Life Goes On
by IMTheresa
Summary: Dean is back from Hell and ready to reunite with Kristine. Unfortunately, Sam has lost track of her, but maybe Nicholas can help.
1. Chapter 1

**Life Goes On**

**Disclaimer:** I'd love to find the Winchesters under my Christmas tree this year, but sadly, it won't happen. Maybe next year?

**A/N: **Alex and Nicholas were introduced in _Tested_. Their story was continued in _The Job Is Never Done_ and is expanded here. I think I've presented enough of their history that you don't have to read the other ones first, but no one is saying you _shouldn't_ read them *g*.

oooOOOooo

_Living under a cloud of black...udder a single word and watch the lightning strike...feel the roar of the thunder. Periods of calm are like tears dripping from a rainbow...and life goes on_

- Donna A. Favors -

oooOOOooo

Three weeks back from Hell and not a minute of peace. There was something so wrong with that, Dean Winchester thought as he stood under the shower head. The water was hot, but it felt good washing over his tense muscles.

As usual, there was evil to fight, but now an angel was telling him he had a role in holding off the apocalypse. Why was he so important? He was just a guy who'd saved some people; why did God, if God even existed, give a crap about him? And what was he supposed to do about an apocalypse?

Dean grabbed the soap and lathered up. Sam was waiting for him to finish so that they could get some food. He knew that Sam probably wouldn't eat; they'd finished a job only the day before and Sam still hadn't quite recovered from having to kill someone….even if he was really a monster. Or, maybe he was still suffering the disappointment of finding out that Castiel wasn't exactly the fluffy angel Sam had expected him to be. Still, Sam's dour mood might be because Dean had seen what he could do and had told him that the angels wanted him to stop exorcising demons with his mind.

Whatever the reason for Sam's funk, Dean was sure he wouldn't want to eat, but that he needed to. Sam had agreed to join him, though, so maybe he'd be willing to swallow a few bites of steak.

As he was drying off, Dean knocked his shaving kit off of the counter. He crouched to gather up the items and his hand paused over a photograph he'd forgotten was inside.

---

"Hey, Sam?"

Sam looked up from the book he was reading as Dean walked out of the bathroom, his hair wet from the shower and a towel around his waist.

"Yeah?"

"You, uh, you think you can do me a favor?"

Sam wasn't used to his brother using a timid tone of voice with him and he was instantly curious. He closed the book and turned around in his chair to look at Dean straight-on. He slipped into a clean pair of jeans before sitting on the edge of the bed closest to Sam.

"What favor?" Sam asked, not able to miss Dean's uncomfortable fidgeting.

"I want to talk to Kristine, but I'm afraid if I call her, she'll react like you and Bobby did. Can you give her a call for me?"

Sam had actually expected this before now. Dean had been back from Hell for almost a month and he'd yet to ask about Kristine Ryan, the woman everyone but him knew that he was in love with. Of course he and Sam had had a few things going on, but there was nothing particularly new about that.

Sam would do anything for his brother and in the scheme of things, this was a pretty simple request. The thing was, though, Sam wasn't entirely sure that Kristine would take his call.

"You know Ellen is at the estate, right? You could just call her." Sam didn't miss Dean's questioning expression.

"Wouldn't that create the same problem?" Dean asked.

"Bobby hasn't told her?"

"I asked him to hold off saying anything until...well, until I was ready. We've got a little time now, right? There's no emergency that needs our attention."

"Yeah," Sam hoped he didn't look or sound as uncomfortable as he felt. "Yeah, it's about time that Kristine knows you're back. It's probably only a matter of time before it hits the grapevine."

"So, can you call her for me?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Sam reached for his cell phone, realizing that the worst that would happen is that he'd get Kristine's voice mail.

And that's exactly what happened. After listening to her instruction to wait for the beep, Sam managed to leave a somewhat coherent message. Dean thanked him, but seemed restless, so Sam offered to call Ellen even though he felt almost the same trepidation talking to her as he did talking to Kristine. Before Dean was able to take him up on it, Sam's cell phone rang.

"It's Bobby," Sam said, stopping Dean's excitement. He saw his brother practically deflate before answering the phone. "Hey, Bobby."

Sam listened for a few moments and once he nodded an assurance to Dean that there was nothing wrong, Dean stood up and began to rummage through his duffel bag.

"Bobby," Sam began when the conversation was almost at an end. "Uh, Dean wants to talk to Kristine. I left a message on her cell, but do you think you could give Ellen a call?"

Sam noticed when Dean looked toward him.

"Yeah, we'll be waiting for your call. Thanks." Sam put the phone on the table in front of him. "Bobby will call back once he's talked to Ellen."

Dean nodded. "Why'd he call in the first place?"

"Just to check in."

Dean nodded again and went back to his bag.

"Um…Sam?" he sat down on the edge of the bed. "What's the deal with you and Kristine? When was the last time you talked to her? Or Ellen?"

"It's been a while," Sam answered vaguely.

"How long is a while? Is there something I should know?"

"Dean, come on, man. It was a rough time."

"So, it's like with Bobby? You guys didn't keep in touch?"

Sam looked at his brother. Dean's tone wasn't angry. It was more like his expression; sad.

"Dean…."

"Did you stop keeping in touch because of Ruby?'

"Dean…" Sam stood up and walked across the room. He looked out the window, but wasn't seeing anything beyond the glass.

"We haven't really talked about it," Dean said. "Everything you can do. What she encouraged you to do."

"There's nothing to talk about," Sam said quietly. "I told you I wasn't going to use my power any more and I mean it. If your angel –"

"He's not _my _angel," Dean said.

Sam glanced at him. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Dean asked, his head cocked to one side.

"A lot of things. But what I meant was I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch with Kristine. I know how you feel about her and I know you were worried about how she'd handle things after you were….gone. But she had Ellen, Dean, and that was probably better for her."

Kristine Ryan was the last surviving member of her immediate family. Except for her father, who died of cancer, everyone had been killed by the same demon who took Mary Winchester. She met Dean and his father when Sam was attending Stanford. After the brothers reunited, Dean brought Sam to her home in Mountain Ridge. He'd been having trouble coping with the death of his girlfriend, also at the hands of the demon. Kristine had her own experience with depression as well as being a trained counselor and Dean, feeling completely out of his element, hoped she could help him. It hadn't been an easy time, but she had been able to lend a hand.

Kristine wasn't a hunter, but was a friend to them. She'd turned her family's estate into a haven for them when they needed a break from the road. There they could find shelter, information, medical care, and just about anything else they might need. What Kristine couldn't provide herself, she managed to find elsewhere.

After the death of her friend and de facto manager of the estate, Kristine had offered the position to Ellen Harvelle. Since her bar had burned to the ground, Ellen needed somewhere to live and wanted something to be a part of. It was a perfect solution for both of them. Kristine had suffered bouts of serious depression since her sister's death and spent time in various mental hospitals. She still suffered from it and occasionally engaged in very reckless behavior. Dean had thought having Ellen around would help keep her Kristine grounded and was glad for the arrangement.

"It wasn't just for Kristine, man," Dean said, looking at Sam with affection. "It was for you. I didn't want you to be alone.'

Sam didn't respond.

"Thanks for calling her even though you obviously didn't want to."

Sam considered his possible answers and then nodded. "You're welcome."

The uncomfortable silence was broken when Dean's cell phone started to ring several minutes later.

"Bobby," Dean answered after looking at the caller ID display.

Sam sat back in his chair and listened to his brother's side of the conversation.

---

"What's wrong?" Sam asked once Dean ended the call.

"Kristine is gone."

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?"

"She left the estate a month ago and isn't keeping in touch with Ellen. She's sent some emails and has made sure the accounts are taken care of, but that's about it. Ellen has left voicemails, but Kristine hasn't returned any of the calls."

"If she's still sending emails, at least we know she's okay." Sam knew it was lame, but it was the best he could come up with. He saw the look on his brother's face. Dean was struggling with disappointment, worry and probably some regret. "Look, she's probably getting the voice mails, right? So, she'll listen to mine. Once she knows you're back, she'll call. Or, you could call her. She'll get my message, then yours…."

Sam watched as Dean took a few steps, then sat back down on the bed.

"Dean?"

"What if she's not okay? What if she's not taking her meds and –"

"Don't think like that."

"The Raines."

"What?"

"Have you talked to Nicholas or Alex?"

Sam looked away.

"Guess not," Dean sighed. "Okay, can you call the Raines? Maybe Kristine has called to talk to the boys."

"I'll call them, but why don't you call Kristine? Leave a message; you're probably working yourself up for no reason."

"Maybe," Dean conceded.

Sam reached for his phone. "Make your call. I'll make mine."

Dean took his phone and walked across the room.

---

During one of Dean's last visits to the estate before the deadline for his deal hit, he and Sam met Nicholas and Alex Cordell. Their parents had been killed by vampires and the hunter who found them had brought them to the estate, hoping that Kristine could help

They had reminded Dean of himself and Sam. At ten, Alex's head was full of what his dad had taught him about cars and he felt the same responsibility toward four-year old Nicholas that Dean had always felt for Sam. They had no other family and no one to take them in. With their safe world shattered, Dean had known what kind of life awaited them.

Kristine located a children's home in Atlanta set up to care for the orphaned children of hunters and others affected by the supernatural. At Dean's insistence, he and Sam had taken the boys there and Dean made sure that they both had his and Sam's cell phone numbers as well as Kristine's. The three of them were on file as emergency contacts for the boys and until going to Hell, Dean had called them at least once a week.

After making the deal for Sam's life, Dean hadn't intended to go back to the estate. He'd wanted Sam to tell Kristine that he'd died during a hunt, but his plan changed when Nicholas and Alex showed up on her doorstep a few months before his deadline.

Nicholas had started to have premonitions which had caused some attention from the underworld. Even now, no one was sure if he was part of a new generation of special kids created by Azazel, but nonetheless, he and his brother had become part of the disorder brought on by Azazel's destruction. The underworld was in chaos, with different factions vying for dominance and one of the demons had hoped to use Nicholas in his takeover.

Sam and Dean discovered this after finding Liam, a demon who didn't want that to happen. He'd taken the little boys from Atlanta to protect them, dropping them at the estate where he knew they'd find help.

Once all of the information was out in the open, supposedly, Kristine had found a couple, Keith and Angelica Raines, to adopt the Cordell brothers. Angelica had premonitions like Nicholas, but more importantly, she and Keith knew about hunters and the supernatural.

---

Sam finished his call to the little boys' adoptive parents, having watched his brother the entire time. He was concerned that Dean was staring out of the window, the phone held limply by his side.

"Dean?"

He gave no indication that he'd heard Sam speak.

"Dean, I talked to Angelica. She doesn't know where Kristine is, but she's keeping in touch with the boys like she said she would. In fact, Nicholas got some award at school yesterday and wanted to tell her about it. Angelica let him call; both kids talked to her yesterday."

There was still no movement from Dean.

"Did you hear me?" Sam asked, watching him closely.

Dean cleared his throat and turned around. "Yeah. Thanks, Sammy."

"What's wrong? Did you call?" Sam knew he hadn't, but wanted to get a conversation going.

"Uh, no," Dean said putting his phone on the bedside table. "You told Angelica that I'm alive?"

"Yeah. She was a little freaked, needless to say. She wants to talk to Keith about it, then to you. She said she'd call back in the morning."

Dean nodded, then stood up straighter. "You ready to get some food?"

Sam was taken aback by Dean's sudden turnaround and he hesitated. He wasn't hungry and he didn't think Dean really was either, but clearly Dean wanted to get out of the motel room for a while.

Instead of going to the steakhouse they'd discussed, Dean drove to a bar they'd passed coming into town before. By the time he parked, his mood seemed to have lightened somewhat. The place was busy, but they found a table near the back and settled in. Dean ordered them each a beer and a plate of nachos.

"I'm a little confused here, Dean," Sam said once the waitress had walked away. "Why did you change your mind about calling Kristine?"

"I didn't," Dean said. "I just….so, I was thinking we could head toward North Carolina. You don't think the Raines will decide not to let me see the boys, do you?"

"No," Sam answered quickly. "I'm sure they won't. But what about Kristine?"

"I know where the boys are. I don't know where she is. And she has your voicemail; I'm sure Ellen will call her again. Not a lot we can do until she gets in touch."

Sam knew that wasn't true. There was any number of things they could do to find Kristine, but for some reason Dean was willing to just wait. Sam wasn't going to push him to explain or try to talk him into doing something he clearly wasn't ready to do. And maybe that's what it came down to. He might not actually be ready to talk to Kristine. Dean didn't normally shy away from things, but he'd been through something Sam could never comprehend and even though Dean didn't remember his time in Hell, maybe it had changed him in ways they'd not yet thought about.

---

The brothers headed for North Carolina the next morning. There had still been no word from Kristine, but the Raines agreed to let them see Nicholas and Alex. The adults were going to get together to try to figure out the best way to explain Dean's resurrection first, though.

Sam and Dean made it as far as the estate late in the evening. Ellen had been beyond happy to find out Dean was not only alive, but on his way to Mountain Ridge, but he was still taken aback as Ellen rushed out of the house, calling his name. She threw her arms around him and he had to admit that it was nice to be greeted without suspicion that he was some supernatural creature.

Dean returned the hug warmly. After a moment, Ellen tried to speak, but it had to be hard to know what to say to someone who had literally been to Hell and back. Dean didn't know what to say to her, either.

"Let me look at you," she finally managed, holding him at arm's length and suddenly seeming very maternal. She examined his face and whatever she saw seemed to satisfy her. Keeping a hand on his arm, she smiled at Sam. "It's good to see you, too, Sam."

"Thanks," he said sounding a more than a little uncomfortable. "You, too."

"Come on, get your bags and let's get inside," she said. "Are you hungry?"

"You cook?" Dean smiled.

"I can do more than mix a good drink," she said and swatted him.

"Any guests here?" Dean asked as they walked toward the large house. He suddenly flashed on the first time he'd seen it and couldn't believe that had been more than five years ago. He'd been intimidated by its size and what he imagined the lifestyle of its inhabitants must be, but Kristine and her mother had quickly won him over.

"Not tonight, but I expect a couple tomorrow. They're only staying a day or two; mainly to drop off some stuff and pick other stuff up. Sometimes I feel like I'm running a trading post," she laughed. "You have your pick of rooms; unless you want to stay at the cottage?"

"No," Dean said quickly. "That's Kristine's place and –"

"You know she wouldn't mind," Ellen told him.

"We'll stay here," he said again.

Sam reached for Dean's duffle bag. "I'll take it upstairs so you two can talk."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Dean relented and gave Sam his bag. "You coming back down?"

"Yeah. I, uh, I think I'll take a shower first."

Dean watched him ascend the stairs, but followed Ellen to the kitchen once Sam had reached the first landing.

She had already set out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses on the table. "Sure you're not hungry?"

"I'm good. Thanks," Dean said as he sat down.

"This is a little strange," she admitted coming to the table with a with a bowl of chips. "I couldn't believe when Bobby called and told me. You were yanked out of the hole by an angel?"

Dean nodded, feeling a little awkward. He'd still not gotten used to the idea and Ellen seemed to notice his disinterest in talking about it.

"So, you want to hear first hand what I know about Kristine?"

Dean reached for the bottle and poured them each a drink. "You told me on the phone."

Ellen looked at him. "You seem pretty nonchalant about finding her."

Dean shrugged and swallowed the whiskey. "I'm not looking for her."

Ellen looked surprised and she poured him another shot. "That wasn't what you said yesterday."

He nodded. "I know. But I thought about it and…."

"And what?"

"I changed my mind. I'm here now and hopefully will be able to see Nicholas and Alex tomorrow."

"Hopefully?"

"We have to figure out what to tell the boys before I can see them."

"You think the Raines will keep them from you?"

"I don't think so," he shook his head. "I hope not, anyway."

Ellen poured herself another shot and held up the glass. Dean clinked his against it and they drank.

"Welcome back, Dean," Ellen smiled, then she looked into his eyes. "Now tell me the real reason you aren't going to look for Kristine."

Dean reached for the bottle, staring at his friend. "I told you. I changed my mind."

Ellen looked disbelieving, but sighed and nodded. "Okay, then."

Dean picked up the glass, but put it down without drinking. Instead, he plucked a chip from the bowl. "Are you doing okay here? You like it?"

"I do. It's not the same as the Roadhouse, but…." Ellen sat back in her chair. "It's good. And I like the town. The people that Kristine knows all sort of took me in. I was immediately on the A list even though I didn't know a soul here."

"It's a good town," Dean agreed. "So, am I dead here?"

Ellen shook her head. "No. Kristine didn't tell anyone. Well, she told people who already know the truth about what goes on here, but it's safe for you to wander around town. Are you seeing the Raines tomorrow?"

Dean ate another chip. "Yeah. I'm going to Charlotte in the morning."

"Alone?"

Dean looked at her curiously. "I don't know. Why?"

She shrugged, downing the drink. "I was just curious. Things okay between you and your brother?"

Dean had a feeling she knew something about what Sam did when he was on his own, but was skirting the issue afraid that he didn't know. "Why wouldn't they be?"

"Well, it's a big change. You know, him being on his own after so long and then all of a sudden you're back. I thought maybe there'd be some adjustment time or something."

"All right; out with it. What do you know?"

"Nothing."

Dean stared at her.

"I mean it. I don't know anything. Sam was here for a couple weeks after you…died, then he took off. I know he was with Bobby for a little while, but not long."

"What did you hear, then? Hunters are in and out of here all the time; you must have heard something."

"Dean…." She watched as he poured another drink for each of them, then she smiled. "You think you can get me drunk and I'll start talking?"

He didn't answer as he picked up his glass, his eyes on her face.

"Please. I was drinking long before you were born, pup. You're gonna have to try harder than this." She held up her glass.

"What do you know about my brother?" Dean asked again.

They heard footfalls coming toward the kitchen. Ellen quickly swallowed her drink and moved the bottle aside as Sam walked in. He looked from one to the other and Dean could tell he was uncomfortable.

"Grab a glass, Sammy," Dean said lightly.

"I think I'll stick with soda," he said, moving toward the refrigerator.

Dean noticed he took an unusually long time to walk across the room and when he got back to the table, he didn't take a seat. "I, uh, I'm gonna get some sleep. I put our stuff in the last room on the left upstairs, but if you'd rather have a room to yours—"

"No, that's fine. Thanks, Sam."

Sam nodded and looked at Ellen before quickly averting his eyes. "Goodnight."

"See ya in the morning, Sam," Ellen said. Her cheerful tone seemed a little forced to Dean and he noted Sam's confused reaction. He nodded before turning toward the door.

"I'll be up in a few minutes," Dean said.

"Okay," Sam said, not stopping.

Once Dean was sure that Sam was out of earshot, he leaned closer to Ellen. "We're on the same side here, right?"

"Of course."

He looked at Ellen closely. He wasn't sure if she was telling the truth, but he hoped she was. He decided to let it go for the time being.

"Thanks for the drinks. I'll see you in the morning."

Ellen smiled at him and he thought it was genuine. "Goodnight, Sweetie. I'm glad you're here."

---

Dean took his time walking upstairs. He wanted to give Sam some time, but he was also taking in his surroundings. Most of Kristine's personal things were in the cottage she lived in, but this was the house where she'd grown up and it still felt like her.

He was still afraid that Kristine wasn't taking her medication and was off doing stupid and dangerous things, but he hadn't just been staring out of the window while Sam was on the phone to the Raines the night before. He knew that Sam had no idea, but he'd had actually been talking to Castiel.

The angel had an uncanny way of showing up undetected by anyone other than him. Castiel hadn't exactly told Dean not to look for Kristine – and even if he had, Dean wouldn't have listened – but he made it clear the first priority should be the Cordell boys. Dean decided he'd play along for the time being, but he had no intention of _not_ looking for Kristine.

Dean had been suspicious of Sam's secrecy about what he did while he was on his own, but having seen his brother's reaction to Ellen, Dean was certain he was intentionally hiding something. He didn't think Ellen knew anything for sure, but he knew she had her own suspicions. Demons talk. Hunters talk. Nothing was ever easy.

Sam was in bed with a book when Dean got to the room.

"You wanna tell me why you're so weirded out being here?" Dean asked as he tossed his duffle bag onto the bed and began to rummage through it.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Riiight."

"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."

Dean glanced over his shoulder when he heard Sam drop his book onto the floor. "You coming to Charlotte with me?"

"I thought I was. Am I?"

"We leave around noon."

"Okay."

Dean pulled a smaller bag from his duffle and headed for the door. "I'm gonna take a shower."

"Got all your hair products?" Sam joked.

"I hope so, since you clearly don't use any," Dean said as he continued out of the room.

---

Dean was still awake when the grandfather clock downstairs struck 2am. It was a comforting sound, but Dean had no idea why. He didn't remember that there had been a grandfather clock in his childhood home or that he'd learned to count with the held of its chimes.

He gave up half an hour later and made his way downstairs. It was unseasonably warm in the mountain town and Dean settled on the deck outside of the kitchen. After the vampire attack during his last visit to the estate, security had been beefed up, but he was still on guard. He looked toward the pool on the grounds below, the subtle glow of landscape lights shimmered on the still water.

It had been summer when he was here before and many fun hours had been spent in the pool, playing with Nicholas and Alex. It had been a great time, but so much had happened since then. Dean ran a hand over his face, then pulled out his cell phone. He knew that no matter where Kristine was, it was late, but he didn't let that stop him from making the call. He wasn't surprised to get her voice mail, but he briefly considered hanging up without leaving a message.

"Hey, Kristine, it's Dean. Again. Sam's left you messages and so have Bobby and Ellen, so you know it's really me. Look, Babe, I'm at the estate. Sam and I are going to Charlotte to see the kids tomorrow. Well, I hope that's how it works out, anyway. We have to figure out what to tell them first. You know the number, Kristine. Call me, okay?" Dean hesitated. "Just let me know you're all right. Please, Darlin'."

Dean went back inside as the sun was just starting to lighten the sky. Sam was still fast asleep and this time, it wasn't before Dean was as well. His rest was interrupted by a nightmare and when he jerked awake, he was alone in the bedroom.

---

"Mornin', Sam," Ellen said to Sam when she joined him on the deck. "Thanks for making the coffee."

"You're welcome," he said, somewhat suspiciously. He didn't know if she was aware of his activities while Dean was gone, but he had an idea that she did.

"You mind some company?" she asked, not waiting to sit down.

He didn't say anything.

"Is Dean still asleep?"

"Yeah. I heard him get up sometime early this morning, but he was back in bed when I woke up."

She nodded and took a long sip of the coffee, her eyes scanning the tree line across the yard. Sam waited, but he didn't know for what.

"Is he doing okay?" she asked, real concern in her voice.

Sam relaxed a little. "For the most part, I think he is."

"Bobby said he doesn't remember anything about Hell."

"That's what he says."

"You don't believe him?"

Sam thought about that for a moment. "I believe him, but…."

"But what?"

"He's having nightmares. When he wakes up, he says he doesn't remember any of the details. I'm not sure I believe _that_, though."

"It would probably be better for him if he never remembers."

"Yeah," Sam said quietly.

"You must be glad to have him back."

Sam looked at Ellen. Her tone had changed and he couldn't help but think she was trying to lead him into something.

"Of course I am," he said, trying not to sound too defensive.

She smiled, but there seemed to be something behind it. "Have you met the angel that pulled him out?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure I think much of him," Sam said, not sure why he was going down this road. The smart thing would be to get away from the subject of Hell and angels altogether, but Ellen had always been a friend and he wanted that to still be the case.

"What's he like?"

Sam thought about it. "He's not soft and cuddly, that's for sure. He told Dean that angels are God's warriors and I guess he is more like a soldier. The other one, though…"

"The other one?"

"Uriel. At least Castiel seems to have a little empathy. Uriel may as well be a Vulcan."

Ellen laughed. After a few sips of coffee, she looked at Sam. "You know, Sweetie, it really is good to see you again. I've missed you."

"Thanks, Ellen," Sam smiled, finally feeling comfortable.

She stood up. "I need to get to work."

"Can I do anything?"

"Just sit here and drink your coffee. Are you coming back when you're done in Charlotte?"

"We haven't thought much past Charlotte, but yeah, probably."

She patted his shoulder. "I hope so."

---

Kristine sat in the coffee shop, gripping her cell phone. She'd just listened to Dean's latest voicemail for the third time and still couldn't bring herself to delete it. But she couldn't call him. Not yet. There was something she had to take care of before she could let him back into her life.

_He's back_, she thought, not for the first time. _And this time…._

She smiled and shook her head. This time would be just like it had been before. He was a hunter and he probably always would be. Not only that, but it would always come first. She'd been okay with that before, but now…? She put down the phone and picked up the coffee, looking at the door when she noticed the man walking in.

He was tall, well over six feet, and dressed all in black, including a long overcoat and fedora. She had to admit the wardrobe was a stunning contrast to his smooth nearly alabaster skin and there was something unspeakably beautiful about him. Besides, it wasn't everyone who could pull off a fedora any more. She tried to ignore it, but her pulse quickened as he approached.

"Good morning," he said with a faint Spanish accent

"Right on time. As always," Kristine smiled.

He leaned over to kiss her cheek before pulling the other chair at the table closer to her. She couldn't help but notice that he smelled vaguely of cinnamon and vanilla.

"I'm all packed and ready to go," he said, taking off his hat and placing his large hand over hers.

"Me, too. Let me just run to the ladies room."

He smiled. "Of course, Darling."

Kristine smiled at him and left the table. In the ladies room, she splashed cold water on her face and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"Settle down, Kristine. You know better than this."

Her reflection had no words of wisdom for her, so she turned away from the mirror.

She stopped on her way back to the table when she saw her cell phone in his hand. He knew she was watching him; he always knew. He didn't pretend to be embarrassed at getting caught; he didn't even put the phone down when she stood next to him.

"It's sweet that you're saving all of his voicemails."

"Did you listen to them?"

He smiled at her, holding out the phone. "Of course not."

Kristine slipped into the leather bomber jacket she'd picked up in a thrift store recently and stuffed the phone into a pocket. She didn't believe him, but it didn't matter.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"I'm always ready," he smiled and stood up, easily lifting Kristine's bag she'd left sitting on the floor. With a hand her Kristine's shoulders, they walked outside.

"Are you serious?" she asked when he stopped in front of a Maserati sports car.

"I only go in style, my dear," he said walking around to the small trunk. "It's a good thing you packed light."

"So, you _want _to bring attention to yourself?"

"I thought that was part of the plan. You want to drive?"

She looked at the car, then at him. "Give me the keys."

---

Sam had to wake Dean so they could get on the road in time to make the appointment with the Raines. Both school teachers, they had similar schedules and agreed to meet after their last classes. Nicholas and Alex always spent Friday afternoons in karate class, so the adults would have at least a couple hours to talk before the boys needed to be picked up.

Dean was quiet as he drove, but Sam could tell from his choice of music that his mood was all right. Sam knew Dean better than anyone else did, but even for him, it was sometimes hard to read his brother. His music was always transparent, though. It was Metallica or AC/DC when he was happy, though Metallica was often used when he was anxious, as well. Led Zepplin was for when he wanted to think. Motorhead….actually, Sam had no idea what Motorhead was for.

When Sam thought his brother was gone for good, he'd installed an iPod jack in the car. Dean's first reaction had not been positive, but he'd not removed it. He hadn't actually used it yet, but Sam had made sure that his brother's iPod was ready for him. Before Hell, he'd sometimes fallen asleep listening to music, but that hadn't happened since his return.

Dean hadn't eaten before they left the estate and even though they had plenty of time, he wasn't interested in stopping for anything. Sam didn't let that worry him. Almost nothing kept his brother from food and even though his music indicated he was all right, Sam knew he was still worried about the upcoming meeting.

Keith and Angelica had officially adopted the boys and had total legal control over them. It hadn't been much of a discussion when they'd agreed to let Kristine and the Winchesters stay in the boys' lives, but there was no guarantee they'd let Dean get close to them again. If they thought there was too much risk….

Sam glanced at his brother. Any case that involved kids tended to hit Dean hard, but when Nicholas and Alex showed up at the estate, their family ripped apart, Sam knew Dean would take it to heart. And then when Alex had turned out to be so much like Dean – a big brother totally dedicated to keeping his little brother safe….Sam knew that if the Raines decided not to tell the boys that Dean was alive, he would accept it. It would break his heart, but he'd do what was best for the boys.

What did concern Sam, though, was Dean's turnaround over looking for Kristine. If there was one thing Sam knew without a doubt about his brother, it was that he was in love with Kristine Ryan. He didn't pretend to understand their relationship, but he wasn't sure either of them did, either. He also knew better than to push Dean when he didn't want to be pushed. Dean obviously had his reasons for concentrating on the boys first and maybe it really was that he knew where they were.

---

Keith and Angelica were meeting the Winchesters at a coffee shop near the high school where Keith taught. Angelica's kindergarten wasn't far away, but her workday ended earlier than her husband's. Dean found it easily – he never seemed to get lost – and parked outside. They'd made good time and had almost an hour until the Raines were expected to arrive, so Sam suggested they find something to eat.

The coffee shop was surrounded by other businesses and there were plenty of food choices. At first, he thought Dean was going to turn him down, but a few minutes later they were seated in a fast food restaurant with burgers in front of them.

Dean ate, but Sam was pretty sure it was mostly for his benefit. He wasn't going to fight it; Dean hadn't been eating right since he got out of the pit and Sam didn't much care what he had to do to make Dean take care of himself.

There was some conversation while they ate and then killed time window shopping before heading back to the coffee shop. Despite doing their best to kill the time, Sam and Dean were there several minutes before the Raines arrived.

They weren't involved in hunting, but knew about it. They'd learned more since becoming acquainted with Kristine and the Winchesters. Still, they'd not been let in on Dean's pending date with Hell. After he was gone, Sam and Kristine told the lie that Dean had intended Kristine to believe before he changed his mind: that he'd been killed in a hunt.

It hadn't been an easy thing to straighten out when Sam called them, but they didn't seem to harbor any ill feelings over the misinformation. The reason why became apparent fairly quickly after the initial greeting and small talk.

"I started having a dream," Angelica began, her hands wrapped around a cup of coffee. She looked at Dean. "I guess it was maybe a week before Kristine called to tell us about….well, to tell us that you'd died. I didn't understand it at first, but I eventually figured it out. Not the details, mind you, but the gist of it."

"You figured out that I was in Hell?" Dean asked quietly.

"No, not exactly. But I knew you hadn't died in an accident and that somehow….I don't know. Somehow I knew I shouldn't be angry about the lie. It wasn't until Sam called the other day that it all made sense."

"I'm sorry," Dean said. "It was my choice not to tell you the truth."

"It's all right," Angelica assured him with a smile.

"How are they?" Dean asked. "Are the boys doing okay?"

"They're doing very well," Keith said. "Especially considering everything that they've been through. Nicholas seems to have adjusted to everything; his dreams, a new home and school….He takes his lead from Alex most of the time and even though Alex understands more because he's older, he's doing well, too."

"I'm glad; that's good." Dean wiped his hands nervously on his pant legs.

"They trust us," Angelica began. "But they don't tell us everything. They seem to have their own secret language and they keep some things just between the two of them."

Sam and Dean glanced at each other.

"Much like any brothers, I imagine," she smiled. "But….Well, we didn't know this until yesterday, but Nicholas had his own dreams about you."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked nervously.

"He knew you were coming back."

"What?" Dean almost couldn't breathe.

"It's hard to keep secrets from a psychic," Keith grinned. "Christmas and birthdays? Pain in the butt, I tell ya."

Angelica smiled at him and Dean had a feeling there were several stories behind her smile.

"He doesn't understand how or why," Angelica said. "But he knew you were coming back and he told Alex. There's no reason for you not to see them, Dean.'

Relief flooded over Dean. It hadn't occurred to him that Nicholas would have premonitions involving his return. Because there didn't seem to be a pattern to what he dreamed, Dean had hoped Nicholas' ability was something natural and not because of demon involvement.

"We told them you'd come to the house after their karate lesson tonight; we could order pizza and you can spend as much time with them as you want."

"You're sure?" Dean asked, looking from Angelica to Keith and back again.

"Absolutely."

"Thank you," Dean said, his voice cracking.

"Not at all," she glanced at Sam. "When we first spoke a couple of days ago, you mentioned that Kristine had left the estate. Have you talked to her?"

"No," Sam answered.

"Do the boys know she's gone?" Dean asked.

"Not so far as we know," Keith said. "She still calls regularly and almost always picks up if one of the boys calls her. If she doesn't, she returns the call."

Dean looked at Angelica, but before he could ask his question she shook her head. "No, I haven't had any premonitions about her. Not a single dream. I'm sorry.'

"I knew that would be too easy," Dean smiled.

---

After some discussion, the Raines agreed to let Sam and Dean pick the boys up from their karate lesson and bring them home. The plan to order pizza stood and the Raines talked the brothers into staying at their house at least overnight.

Sam felt almost like an intruder as they waited at the curb for Nicholas and Alex to finish up their lesson. He watched Dean, leaning against the Impala and trying to look nonchalant. Sam knew his brother was far from relaxed, but he wasn't about to call him on it.

There were other people waiting for children to come outside, but Nicholas's eyes went straight to Dean as he and Nichols walked through the door. It was as if he knew to expect him standing right were he was, next to the Impala. Simultaneously, the young brothers broke into a run and Sam's eyes stung with tears as Dean crouched down to hug them both. He watched as his brother was pulled down to his knees, his eyes closed and hands clutching the boys' coats, but he stayed off to the side.

Nicholas pulled away first and he grinned before throwing himself into Sam's arms. There had been a lot of good reasons for Sam to separate himself from his former life after Dean was gone, but he suddenly regretted not staying in touch with the Cordell brothers. Alex hugged him, too, though not as enthusiastically as his brother had.

Dean loaded Nicholas and Alex into the car and as he drove to the Raines' house, there was constant chatter from the back seat. As always, Nicholas had a lot to say. He seemed determined to catch Sam and Dean up on the last several months of his life, in vivid detail.

He was still talking when they got to the house and didn't seem ready to stop. Angelica met them at the door and didn't take offense when she was all but ignored by her adoptive children, but insisted they take their baths before the pizza arrived.

Alex had no desire for assistance, but there seemed no other option for Nicholas than Dean helping him. Knowing that pizza and spending time with the Winchesters was their reward, Alex and Nicholas didn't waste time. Once they were clean and in their pajamas, the little boys settled in the den where their parents had been talking with Sam.

Keith and Angelica were amused by Nicholas' continued animation and Dean's seemingly endless patience while they waited for the pizza to be delivered.

"You're spending the night, right Dean?" Nicholas asked as he dug into the slice of pizza Keith set on his plate.

Dean glanced at his brother. They hadn't really had a chance to talk about the Raines' offer, but he saw Sam nod. "Yeah, Nicholas, we're staying the night."

"Cool."

"Can you come to my soccer game?" Alex asked.

Dean glanced at Sam again.

"Sure," Sam answered. "We'll be here for at least a couple of days. What else is going on this weekend?"

"I play soccer, too," Nicholas said. "But we don't play games like the big boys. Angelica said I could take guitar lessons next year."

And with that, Nicholas was off on another diatribe. Alex shook his head and concentrated on his pizza.

---

Once the pizza was gone, Keith and Angelica made excuses to leave Sam and Dean alone with the boys. As they went upstairs, Angelica reminded them of their bedtimes and the children grudgingly agreed. Alex found a board game that he knew Nicholas could play and that's how they spent the next couple of hours.

Alex was allowed to stay up half an hour later than Nicholas and while Dean took the little boy to his bedroom, Alex stayed downstairs with Sam.

"How do you like playing soccer?" Sam asked him.

"I like it a lot. I used to play before…."

Sam saw Alex's eyes glaze over for a moment. He'd forgotten that it wasn't really so long ago that Alex and his brother were living with their parents.

"You know about soccer?" Alex asked, almost visibly shaking the memories away.

"Yeah. I played for a while when I was a kid. I was a forward."

"I'm a midfielder. Nicky says that's what he wants to be, too, but I think he just started to play cuz I was."

"Does that bother you?"

"I guess not. Did you play cuz Dean did?"

Sam laughed. "No. Dean wasn't much into playing team sports. What about the karate? Whose idea was that?"

"Keith's."

Sam nodded.

"You know Nicholas had dreams about Dean?" Alex asked.

"That's what Keith and Angelica told us," Sam said looking at him. "Is there more to it than that?"

Alex propped his feet up on the coffee table. "Did Dean really die?"

"What did Keith and Angelica tell you?" Sam asked.

He and Dean had talked about this very topic with the Raines for quite a while during their initial meeting and they all recognized that questions from the boys were inevitable. No one knew what the best way to handle the questions was, but they all agreed that lying to them was probably a bad idea. They also agreed that telling the boys about Hell wasn't necessary.

Alex shrugged. "They said it's complicated."

"It is," Sam agreed with a smile. He saw Alex's somber expression and remembered how he'd hated being lied to as a kid. "He really did die."

"How did he come back?"

"You know there's all kinds of things out there that we don't completely understand, right?"

"Like vampires and ghosts and –"

"And good things, too. Something good brought Dean back."

"An angel?" Alex glanced at Sam, but quickly turned his eyes away.

"Why do you ask?"

Alex shrugged. "Nicholas saw angels in his dreams."

Sam didn't want to be the one answering these questions. He didn't know what was safe to tell Alex and what wasn't. He couldn't help but think Nicholas might already have all the answers, but was too young to understand them.

"Yeah," Sam finally said. "An angel brought Dean back."

"So, it's a good thing, right?"

Sam leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "You're afraid it might not be good that Dean's back?"

"It's not that," Alex said, looking at him. "I'm glad he's back. But…"

"You were afraid that something bad brought Dean back," Sam said, suddenly understanding why Alex had been so quiet all evening.

"Yeah. I thought maybe Nicholas didn't understand what he saw in the dream."

"It's okay, Alex. Nicholas understood."

Nicholas seemed about to say something else and Sam hoped it wasn't about God. He really wasn't prepared to talk about that. Instead, Alex only nodded. "Cool."

---

Dean sat on the edge of Nicholas' bed, looking around the room. He saw the familiar Lightning McCoy toys from the movie, _Cars_, but the room was also peppered with a few action figures from _Kung Fu Panda_. A standard Teddy bear lay in bed next to the little boy.

"This is a great room," Dean said.

"Yeah. Angelica and Keith are really nice."

"You like it here, then?"

"Yeah, a lot."

"Good."

"I'm glad you're back."

Dean smiled at him. "I'm glad I'm back, too."

"Was it scary being dead?"

The smile froze on his face. "You know what? I don't remember. But it's not something you have to worry about."

Nicholas nodded. "I bet Kristine will be glad you're back, too."

"Yeah," Dean said, noncommittal.

"Don't worry," Nicholas grinned at him. "She'll call you."

"What?" Dean asked before he could stop himself.

"She's doing something right now, but she'll call."

"What do you know about what she's doing?"

Nicholas shrugged and moved the bear to his other side. "Nothing. I just know she's doing something and that's why she hasn't called you."

"Did she tell you that?"

"Uh-uh."

"Did you dream it?"

Nicholas looked thoughtful. "I guess so. Sometimes I just know things and I don't know how I know them. And don't worry; it doesn't have anything to do with that man."

"What man?"

"I don't know who he is, but don't worry," Nicholas looked at Dean. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I made you sad."

Dean smiled at him. "I'm not sad, Nicholas. So, you want a story?"

"No, thank you. I'm sleepy."

Dean tousled his hair. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning."

Nicholas scooted further under the covers. "Good night, Dean. Don't forget the nightlight, okay?"

"I won't," Dean said. "Goodnight, Nicholas."

He paused at the door and looked at the little boy. His bangs had already fallen over his closed eyes, reminding Dean of Sam. He watched as Nicholas rubbed his nose and after he was sure he wasn't going to say something, Dean went back to the den.

Half an hour later, Alex went to bed on his own accord, but he quickly hugged each brother before leaving the room. Once Dean was sure he and Sam were alone, he asked what they'd talked about, noting the boy's change in mood.

"They know about the angels, too?" Dean asked once Sam finished recapping the conversation? "Keith is right; keeping things from a psychic isn't easy."

"Aren't you glad I don't get premonitions?" Sam grinned.

"Oh yeah, cuz that whole demon exorcising thing isn't disturbing at all." Dean scratched his head. "Nicholas said Kristine would call when she's finished with whatever she's doing."

Sam rolled his eyes. "They know she's gone?"

"I guess," Dean sighed. "She's apparently with some guy."

"What?"

"He said not to worry because her not calling didn't have anything to do with 'the man'," Dean said using air quotes.

"He doesn't know who –"

"No, he doesn't know who the man is."

"Well…it doesn't sound like she's _with_ him if her calling doesn't have anything to do with him."

"I don't want to talk about this any more," Dean said suddenly. "What the hell do we do now? It's 9:30, dude. I can't go to sleep at 9:30."

"Beer?" Keith smiled as he walked into the den. He held out two bottles and kept a third for himself as he settled in the last remaining chair.

"Thanks," the brothers said as they took the beer from him.

"You got the boys into bed okay?"

"Yeah, no problems."

"Good. Up for a movie?" Keith asked, reaching for the remote control.

"Sure," Dean said after a glance at Sam for his opinion.

"Iron Man?"

Dean grinned. "Awesome."

_tbc_


	2. Chapter 2

**Life Goes On**

Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 1

**A/N: **Told ya updates would be quick! I hope everyone who celebrates this time of year will have a good time! And here's to a happy new year to us all!

oooOOOooo

_True friends are those who really know you but love you anyway  
_- Edna Buchanan -

_Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained_

- Arthur Somers Roche -

oooOOOooo

After checking into the hotel, Kristine took a long shower. Wrapped in the plush robe that had hung on the back of the bathroom door, she settled in the overstuffed chair and dialed a number on her cell phone.

"It's about time you call. Where are you?"

Kristine smiled to herself. The voice on the other end was filled with relief. "Indiana."

"Can you be more specific?"

"No."

"Are you with Sebastian?"

Kristine hesitated, though there was no reason to consider her answer. Lori Gibbons had been her best friend since Lori's family moved to Mountain Ridge the summer before fifth grade. There was nothing Lori didn't know about her, including the truth about her family, her bouts with depression and what she was up to now.

"We're together," Kristine finally said. "Dean called again."

"And you didn't answer, right?"

"I can't talk to him right now."

"Damnit, woman! He got out of _Hell_ for shit's sake! He deserves a phone call."

"If I call him, the next thing will be a meeting and I can't –"

"You don't think Sebastian is going to find out that Dean is alive?"

"It's not about Sebastian and you know it."

"Do I?"

There was some accusation in Lori's tone, but mainly Kristine heard concern.

"I'm not going to lose my head."

"It's not your head I'm worried about, girlfriend."

Kristine glanced toward the door when she heard a knock. "I gotta go, Lori. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"You damn well better. And call Dean, too."

"Lori…."

"All right, fine. You'll do what you want anyway."

"Love you," Kristine said before ending the call.

She made her way to the door and peered through the peephole.

"You're early," she said, opening the door.

"No, I'm not."

Sebastian came into the room, though he never seemed to just _walk_. There was no particular flourish to his movements, but there was a definite fluidity. He'd changed into different clothes, although his attire was still primarily black.

"I'll get dressed," Kristine said as she closed the door.

Sebastian reached for her arm as she walked past. "You don't have to."

She looked at him, hoping her expression was one of disinterest.

"What I mean is, I've ordered room service and you should be comfortable." His smile didn't falter.

"I'll get dressed," she said again.

"As you wish."

Kristine grabbed the clothes she'd left out on her bed and went into the bathroom. Sebastian had suggested they get a suite, but she'd insisted on separate rooms. He'd only pointed out once that the hotel had two bedroom suites, relenting when she remained firm.

Avoiding the mirror, Kristine slipped into a pair of jeans and a sweater. She didn't have many clothes with her, which was convenient since a bigger piece of luggage probably wouldn't have fit in the car Sebastian had acquired. She knew he liked being dramatic and the car was definitely fun, but it wasn't particularly convenient for a long road trip. Besides, they were trying to call attention to themselves and once they left the major highways and big cities, that car would certainly get them noticed.

Once she was dressed, Kristine looked at her reflection. Her skin was a little more pale than usual, but she preferred that to flushed. She didn't normally wear a lot of make-up, but decided to put some foundation on in hope of keeping any reaction she didn't want known hidden from Sebastian. He was extremely observant, though, and she didn't think she'd really be able to keep anything from him.

Kristine paused; that was actually a rather disturbing thought. There were times when he looked at her in a way that made her think he knew what was going on in her head. Dean had been able to do that, too, but it was comforting coming from him. With Sebastian….Kristine shook her head. She'd promised Lori that she wouldn't lose her head, but she wasn't entirely sure that was something she had any control over.

With one last look in the mirror, Kristine opened the bathroom door. She'd heard the waiter arrive with Sebastian's order and wasn't surprised to see something entirely more stylish than was necessary. She would have been more than content with a burger and fries, but Sebastian clearly had a different idea.

"Ah, you look lovely," Sebastian smiled as Kristine joined him.

"I feel underdressed in my own room."

"Nonsense. Have a seat and I'll serve you."

"You don't have –"

"Please. Get comfortable on the couch where we'll start with some calamari."

Kristine looked into his eyes; they were an intense shade of golden brown that rarely showed any emotion. Right now, though, she saw pleading in them that she hadn't expected. With a brief hesitation, she sat on the couch with a look toward the small round table that had been placed near the balcony doors. It was covered in a rich white linen cloth decorated with a single red rose and red napkins to match.

Sebastian set the appetizer out on the coffee table. "We also have mixed green salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, grilled halibut with Dijon mustard and smoked honey butter for you. I specially requested garlic mashed potatoes rather than the side dish normally served with it."

"Thank you," she smiled.

"The waiter will arrive with our entrees a little later so that we can enjoy them warm. And how about some champagne?"

Kristine looked at him. "Champagne?"

"It's simply uncivilized to have a proper dinner without champagne."

"My mother used to say the same thing."

Sebastian smiled at her as he handed her a delicate stemmed glass with what was no doubt an expensive champagne. "Did she?"

Kristine nodded. "My mother was very much a fan of a good meal. Every Sunday we would have a formal dinner with all the trimmings. Though out of deference for my father, she would suspend it during football season."

"Your father was a football fan, I take it?"

"He was. He'd often take me to Atlanta for the Falcon's home games. This was years before there was a team in Charlotte. I'm sure he'd have gotten season tickets for them," she laughed. "My mother and sister were never particularly interested so it was always something special for just the two of us."

Sebastian sat next to her on the couch. "Sounds like a good time."

"It was," Kristine agreed.

Sebastian held out his glass. "A toast, then. To your father."

Kristine gently clinked her glass against his, but she didn't trust herself to speak.

"How old were you when your father died?" Sebastian asked after they'd gotten comfortable with the champagne and calamari.

"I was almost twelve," she said quietly. "He'd been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer six months before he died."

"That had to have been hard for you."

Kristine nodded. "It was. But things only got worse after that."

"Your sister and mother…."

"My nephew, brother-in-law," Kristine took a long sip of the champagne. "Mental hospitals."

"This wasn't supposed to become a sad dinner," Sebastian smiled. "How about some music?"

"Sure," Kristine said, forcing a lighter tone.

Sebastian picked up the remote for the Bose stereo and found a country music station. He set the volume low.

"How about a more pleasant topic of conversation?" Sebastian asked with a soft smile. "More fond recollections of your father, perhaps?"

Kristine shook her head. "I don't want to talk about my family. What about you?"

"There isn't much to say about my family, cariño. They've been gone for a very long time."

"There's got to be something we can talk about."

"It's cold outside."

Kristine laughed. "Something other than the weather. Seriously, Sebastian, would it bother you to talk about your family? I'm curious."

He refilled their champagne glasses. "It wouldn't bother me, but there's little point. As I said, they've been gone for a long time. What I can tell you about, though, is my home. I grew up in Seville, a most magical place."

"Magical?"

"It's not full of wizards," he joked. "It's a beautiful city with a very rich past. I didn't appreciate it as a child, but that probably isn't uncommon."

"You're right about that."

"The City of Sevilla was founded by Hercules, at least according to the legends. And the festivals are, even today, legendary themselves. The traditions of Semana Santa date back to the 16th century, for instance. Not as old is the Feria de abril de Sevilla, or Seville Spring Fair. I've been to both in modern times and they do not disappoint."

Kristine settled back on the couch, listenting to Sebastian with great interst. The more he spoke about growing up in Spain and his life there, the more pronounced his accent became. They'd all but forgotten the food until the waiter arrived with the entrees. After dealing with the waiter and moving to the table set up next to the French doors, Sebastian continued. Night had fallen and the city lights made a nice backdrop for his story.

---

There wasn't enough room in either vehicle for everyone to get to the soccer game and, not surprising, the boys wanted to go with Sam and Dean rather than their parents. It turned out to be a fairly long day, but Alex team won both of the games they'd been scheduled to play. On the sidelines, his coach announced a celebratory meal at a nearby fast food restaurant.

"Can I go?" Alex asked Angelica.

"Of course you can," she said with a smile. Keith had already taken a very tired Nicholas to the car.

"Great; thanks. Dean, will you come, too?"

"Uh, sure, yeah."

"You know," Angelica said. "We should probably get Nicholas home. Dean, would you mind chaperoning and bringing Alex home when it's over?"

"I can do that."

"Come on, everyone else is leaving!" Alex said excitedly.

"Sam?" Dean asked.

Sam waved a hand. "I think I'll head back to the house; if you don't mind another passenger, Angelica?"

"Not at all."

"See you guys later, then," Dean said as Alex grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the parking lot.

Sam couldn't contain his laughter, thinking back to a time he'd done the very same thing to his brother.

He and Angelica took a decidedly more leisurely walk to the parking lot.

"Alex really likes your brother," she said with a smile.

"Dean likes him, too. And Nicholas. I think Nicholas likes everyone, though," Sam laughed.

"He's still too young to distrust. That's really amazing considering everything."

"It is," Sam agreed. "You haven't had any problems with vampires?"

"God, what a strange question. I don't know if I'll ever get used to worrying about vampires. But no, we haven't had any problems. We follow all the instructions you and Dean gave us before and Kristine sends someone to the house once a month to check things out."

"That's good," Sam said and noticed Angelica's troubled expression. "What's wrong?"

"I just worry about Nicholas' visions. He doesn't always tell us what he's dreamed, plus now he sometimes knows things without dreaming about them," she shook her head. "I don't know. I think he tells us about most things, but I worry about what he doesn't tell us."

They walked a few more paces in silence before Angelica continued. "I encourage him to talk, we both do, but he's so young. He doesn't have any way to evaluate what's important and what isn't. Besides that, we're still new to the boys. It's going very well, but…."

"I guess the good thing is that Nicholas and Alex are so close. Nicholas trusts his brother without a doubt and Alex is old enough to know not to keep secrets."

"They didn't tell us about Dean," Angelica pointed out.

"True, but Dean is on their side. I think if Nicholas was having dreams about vampires or something else that was bad, you'd hear about it."

"I hope you're right," she said.

---

Sam and Dean hadn't wanted to displace the kids from their rooms, but they weren't particularly excited about sleeping together in the same bed for very long. Even if it was a king sized bed. They also weren't excited about leaving Nicholas and Alex so soon.

"They have to go to school on Monday," Sam pointed out after they'd been talking about it for a while in bed that night. "We could go back to the estate and spend some time with Ellen; maybe look for Kristine or –"

"She doesn't want to be found," Dean said. "Besides, Nicholas said she'd call when she was done with….whatever she's doing."

"You worried about that?"

"What? What she's doing?"

"Yeah."

"I'm worried," Dean admitted quietly. "What could she be doing that she'd have to leave the estate for? And why isn't she keeping in touch with Ellen?"

"I don't know, man. Are you worried about the guy she's with?"

"I don't own her, Sam. And I was gone."

"Yeah, but –"

"We were talking about how long to stay here," Dean said and cleared his throat. "I think we should leave on Monday and spend some time with Ellen, like you said. Maybe find a gig nearby or something and come back next weekend if that's okay with Angelica and Keith."

"Sure, Dean."

"See ya in the morning. Stay on your own side of the bed."

"Back at ya, brother."

---

The brothers discussed their plan with Angelica and Keith before bringing it up to the boys. Keith pointed out that Friday was a teacher's workday and the boys didn't have classes. He suggested that Sam and Dean come back on Thursday afternoon. Dean didn't need any encouragement.

"I don't want you to leave!" Nicholas complained later that day as the group was discussing the following weekend.

"We'll be back in a few days," Dean promised.

"But you just got here!"

"You'll be in school all day anyway and –"

"But not at night," the little boy protested.

"Yeah, but you'll have homework and soccer and…." Dean pulled Nicholas onto his lap when he began to cry. "Hey, it's okay. I promise we'll be back and we can talk every night."

Nicholas curled up in Dean's arms.

"I'm back now, Nicholas," Dean said softly, his mouth close to the little boy's ear. "And nothing is going to keep me from visiting and calling. It will be just like it was before. That was pretty good, wasn't it?"

"I guess," Nicholas sniffled.

"And you'll be busy this week with school and stuff; Thursday will be here before you know it."

"You promise?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"Okay."

Dean hugged him tighter. "Okay."

---

Sam and Dean took the boys to school the next morning and then got on the road back to Mountain Ridge. When they were closer, a light snow started to fall, but it didn't stick to the highway. They got back in time to have lunch with Ellen, who told them that three hunters had come in the night before and would be staying for a few days. She also told them that Bobby had called and after finding out the brothers were coming back, decided to visit for a few days. She expected him by dinner time.

There were only a few rules at the estate and none that included socializing with other guests. There were regular meal times, but everyone was welcome to use the kitchen whenever they wanted to. The library was also open to everyone, though some rare volumes were locked away. Each bedroom had its own television, but there was a big screen in the den with a DVD player and the latest game systems.

"Um, excuse me?"

Dean looked away from the television to see who he assumed was a hunter walking into the room. It was hard to judge his age because his face was badly scared from old injuries; his left arm was wrapped in a cast.

"Can I help you?" Dean asked. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sam sit up a little straighter in the chair where he'd been reading.

"You're Dean Winchester, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Dean answered, somewhat warily.

"I'm Leon Markus. You probably don't know me, but I knew your father," he said as he sat down on the couch next to Dean. "He was a great man."

"Yes, he was. Thank you."

"I, uh, I heard about what happened to you. You know, getting pulled out of the pit and everything. I don't want to bother you, but I just….is it true that you were pulled out by an angel?"

"Yes, sir, it is."

"Look, I ran into someone a while back; said he knew you. Tom Harper?"

"Yeah, we know Tom." Dean motioned over his shoulder to Sam. "That's my brother, Sam."

"Good to know you," Leon said, looking toward Sam. It was now obvious that he was not a young man. "Tom and I worked together on something. It happened by accident, but worked out."

"What was the job?"

"We saved a little girl from a group of vampires. Afterward, Tom told me about the vampires that were working with that demon, Kek. You two still a part of that?"

"We haven't talked to Tom in a while," Dean admitted.

"Well, yeah, being in underground and all."

"So, there are still vampires working for the demon," Dean said, almost to himself.

"Don't seem to be too organized, but looks like. And there's something else."

"What's that?"

"Well….I got wind of the girl who owns this place."

"Kristine?"

Leon nodded. "You probably already know this since you're friends and all, but –"

"Um, I haven't actually talked to Kristine since I've been back, either."

"That explains some things."

"Explains what?" Dean asked.

"That's one of the reasons I came here. Well, that and the bum wing," Leon said, holding up his injured arm. "'Cept I'm heading home tomorrow."

"What did you hear about Kristine?" Dean asked, trying not to sound too impatient.

"Yeah, sorry. This was just a few days ago, maybe a week, but she's on the road looking for the vampires, too."

"You're sure?"

"It's what I heard. And she's with some guy; no one seems to know who he is."

"Does Tom know about this?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. I haven't been able to get in touch with him."

Dean glanced at Sam, who was already on his way out of the room. Dean assumed he was heading for the nearest phone.

"That's all I know; sorry."

Dean nodded at him, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. "Thanks for telling me."

"Seemed like the right thing to do," he said and stood up. "I hope it works out."

Dean watched as Leon made his way toward the door, but he paused before leaving. "Your father….he was a good man. I was sorry to hear about his passing."

"Thank you," Dean said sincerely.

Dean went looking for his brother and found him in the kitchen, pacing with his cell phone in his hand. He looked at Dean and shook his head. "Tom's not answering his phone."

"Damnit. Why do I have a bad feeling?"

They both looked toward the back door when Bobby walked in.

"Hey, man, good to see you," Dean said hugging their friend.

"Hey, Bobby," Sam smiled.

"What's with the worried looks?" Bobby asked.

Dean quickly explained what Leon had told them.

Bobby sighed and reached for his phone. "Can't ever get a friggin' day off."

---

"Do you have a destination in mind?" Kristine asked as she and Sebastian got into the car.

"Of course I do," he said with a grin.

Kristine looked at him. "And that would be…?"

"There are some rumblings about a nest about 200 miles west; some nothing little town. We'll start there."

"Is there any indication this is the nest we're looking for?"

"Don't you have any faith in me?"

Kristine glanced at him again. His expression was one of mischief.

"Sebastian…."

He put an arm around her shoulders. "Yes, cariño. I believe this is the nest we're looking for."

"Was that really so hard?" she asked with a smile.

Sebastian returned her smile.

Once they'd been on the road for a few minutes, Kristine noticed Sebastian's glance and readied herself for his question.

"So, cariño, have you checked your voicemail recently?"

"Why do you ask?" she queried with mock innocence.

He smiled, but said nothing.

"You know I have," she said quietly.

"And explain to me again why you haven't called Dean?"

"I'm not entirely sure it's really him."

"Even with his brother's assurance?"

"You know as well as I do what Sam has been up to."

"And that makes him untrustworthy?"

Kristine said nothing as she stared out of the passenger side window.

"And your other friends? Ellen and Bobby?"

She shrugged.

"Is this your way of telling me to mind my own business?"

"You know I'm more direct than that," Kristine said. "I just….I don't know what to do. The grapevine doesn't have good information about Sam and –"

"I think I understand now!"

Kristine looked at him, slightly annoyed at his exuberance.

"You feel guilty about Sam!"

"What?"

"You think Dean will be disappointed in you because of what Sam did. Come on, admit it, cariño."

"What does even cariño mean?" Kristine asked irritably.

Sebastian smiled at her. "It's equivalent to sweetheart or honey, perhaps. It's a term of endearment."

"It's a little familiar, don't you think?"

"I must be right, or you wouldn't be picking this fight with me."

"Fuck off."

Sebastian laughed. "Now I know I'm right."

It took a few minutes, but Sebastian must have realized Kristine's silence indicated she was not in the mood to joke. She didn't notice his glance and didn't see his hand moving toward her until it was on her knee.

"I apologize," he said with sincerity. "I know how much these Winchesters mean to you and I shouldn't have been cruel."

She still didn't say anything, nor did she move his hand.

"Cariño….Kristine, I'm sorry."

"Thank you," she finally said, her voice quiet.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

Kristine was surprised by the sudden tears. "I lost Sam. Dean knew….he knew that Sam would head down a dangerous path and he asked me to look after him. I couldn't do it; I lost him."

"Sam is an adult; he makes his own choices."

"You don't understand."

"You're being too hard on yourself," Sebastian said kindly. "And if Dean was angry with you, he wouldn't be begging you to call him."

"Please don't be nice to me right now."

Sebastian squeezed her knee. "Don't punish yourself for something you had no control over."

"Sebastian….please."

She didn't see the sympathetic look he gave her as he moved his hand away. She leaned against the window and closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself.

---

Dean had decided not to call Kristine again; she had enough messages from him and she'd either call or she wouldn't. His resolve lasted less than 24 hours.

"It's Dean again. I told myself I wasn't going to call you anymore, but then I thought maybe I'd find the right words to get through to you. I was with Nicholas and Alex this weekend. I loved every minute of it, but you were missed. And Nicholas….He told me that you'd call when you were done working on something. He's quite the little psychic, but he's too young to understand most of it. Anyway, back at the estate I met a hunter who helped Tom out a few weeks ago. He told me rumor had it that you were out there looking for vampires. Babe, I know….Kristine, you're walking into something dangerous. Tom's missing and….please, call me. Let me help."

Sam stood just outside the bedroom door while Dean left his message. He knew better than to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help it. He hated the pain he heard in his brother's voice and wished there was something he could do about it. Dean had been through too much to come back and find Kristine not willing to talk to him. The worst part was, Sam had a feeling he knew what was holding her back.

It wasn't exactly true that he'd had no contact with Kristine after he left the estate. There was one encounter….He didn't know for sure when it happened, but as was usual during that time, he'd been squatting in some dump and spending most of his time drinking. He'd been sick and too drunk to stand when all of a sudden Kristine was there. Sam was sure she'd explained how she found him, but he couldn't remember and didn't think it really mattered.

She'd put him to bed, such that it was, and sat with him. He woke up a few times, he hadn't dreamed it, and every time he saw her kind face. She gave him water, fed him soup, and wiped his face with a cool cloth as his body tried to fight off the fever. He knew that all happened for a certainty because once the fever broke and he was feeling better, he'd left without a word. She'd left him alone, so she could get more supplies and he'd taken the opportunity to run out.

It wasn't long after that Ruby had found him. He was pretty sure that Kristine knew about that, too, but he'd finally gotten the bright idea to change his cell phone number and covered his tracks well enough that neither Kristine nor Bobby had been able to find him.

"Hey," Dean turned around and saw Sam standing in the doorway.

Sam was startled; he hadn't intended to let Dean know he'd been listening, but had gotten lost in thought.

"Uh, sorry. Any luck?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head.

"Bobby got a call from a friend of his who knows Tom, too. He's been out of touch for just about a month."

"Think it's any coincidence that's when Kristine took off?"

Sam slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Probably not."

"What do you think the chances are that she really went off on her own?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, just…..we've been going on based on the word of a five year old. He might not have understood what he saw. Maybe the guy that Kristine is with –"

"Maybe he forced her to go with him?" Sam finished.

Dean looked at him, an expression on his face that Sam didn't see very often. It was fear and need. "What do you think?"

"I don't know, Dean," Sam said, feeling totally inadequate. "Nicholas is usually pretty accurate."

"Yeah," Dean turned away and ran a hand over his face. He looked back at Sam a moment later. "So, does that friend of Bobby's know where Tom was last seen?"

"Uh, yeah, his place. Tom was there for a couple days, then got word from Liam, so he –"

"Liam? The demon that helped Nicholas and Alex?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"Any way to get in touch with him?"

"We could summon him. I mean, he's a demon, right?"

The brothers went downstairs and found Bobby and Ellen in the library.

---

"This is a supremely stupid idea," Bobby said, not for the first time.

"What choice do we have?" Dean asked.

"I hate that question," the old man grumbled.

"We don't know anything about this demon," Ellen said.

"Yeah, we do," Dean disagreed. "He was helping Tom, he helped Nicholas and Alex. He –"

"We don't know why, do we? And Tom is missing….how do we know this demon didn't have something to do with that? Wouldn't he try to contact someone here, knowing about the relationship with the boys?"

Dean looked at Ellen, but he didn't want to admit that she had a point. "Do you have another idea?"

"I hate that question."

"We've taken precautions," Sam interrupted. "There's a devil's trap and –"

"And your ability?"

The group turned toward the door of the storage shed.

"Castiel," Sam breathed.

Bobby and Ellen exchanged a look as Dean moved to stand in front of his brother and friends.

"Don't try to stop us," Dean said. "We need some answers here. I need some answers."

Castiel looked at Dean, his eyes full of compassion. "I understand that, Dean, but –"

"You _don't_ understand. A hunter is missing and the demon he was working with –"

"You know how we feel about that."

"Not everything is black and white," Dean said, not seeing the sharp look Sam gave him. "This demon, Liam, he helped Nicholas and Alex. He's helped other kids."

"He's a demon, Dean. He has his own agenda."

"What if the demon can tell us where Tom is?"

"And what happens if it can? What will you do after you have the information? Will you exorcise it?"

"I…." Dean looked away. Exorcising the demon hadn't been the plan unless there Liam had given them a problem.

"Listen to me, Dean," the angel said. "If you bring this demon here, nothing good will come of it. You won't get the information you want and…."

"And what?" Dean asked.

Castiel's eyes turned to Sam.

Dean looked over his shoulder to see his brother begin to fidget. Dean turned back to Castiel.

"Don't you dare accuse him of doing something he hasn't even had the chance to do yet," Dean said, his voice angry.

"There are other ways to go about this, Dean. Ways that aren't as dangerous."

"Enlighten me."

"Have you forgotten about your best lead?"

Dean looked at him questioningly.

"Nicholas," the angel said. "He knows more than he's told you."

"What's your interest in this?" Dean asked. "I thought you were only concerned with the Apocalypse."

"That is our main focus at the moment, yes."

"So, you're saying that Tom's disappearance has something to do with that?"

"Do you really want to get into this?" Castiel asked, casting a momentary glance toward Sam. "Now?"

Dean looked at his brother again, then back to Castiel. "I don't have any secrets from Sam."

"As you wish," Castiel said and moved further into the storage shed.

Dean took a few steps back, but stayed between Castiel and Sam.

"I told you that we knew what Azazel had done to Sam, but not why. We didn't know his endgame," Castiel paused as Dean looked at his brother again. "We don't know much about Kek, but he seems to have picked up where Azazel left off and we know that Nicholas was fed demon blood."

"I was hoping it was something else," Dean said.

"Yes, in any case –"

"So, that's your interest," Dean sighed. "Nicholas is tied to Yellow-Eyes in some way."

"Yes. And we want you to find your missing hunter, but you have to go about it carefully." Castiel cast his eyes toward Sam again and he took a step forward.

"Sam," Dean warned, his hand lifted slightly from his side.

"I'm standing right here," Sam said, looking at Castiel. "If you have something to say to me, or about me –"

"Sam," Dean said, a little firmer.

Sam's eyes locked on Dean's and after a moment, he took a step back. Dean turned to Castiel. "What about Kristine? You told me to concentrate on Nicholas, but –"

"Because he has more information than you think," Castiel said. "About Kristine as well."

A few minutes later, no one could remember Castiel leaving.

"I really don't like that angel," Sam groused.

"I know, Sammy," Dean said, his thoughts moving between sympathy for Sam and worry about everything else.

"We hadn't even summoned Liam yet and Castiel already convicted me of exorcising him with my power."

"Can we focus here, Sam?" Dean agreed that his brother had every reason to be angry, but he didn't want Sam to give into it. They had work to do.

Sam looked at him, then sighed.

"How about we focus up at the house?" Ellen suggested. "It's freakin' cold out here."

---

Back at the main house, the foursome went to the den and Ellen started a fire in the fireplace. There were gas fireplaces in other rooms, but Kristine left refused to make many changes in the den because it had been her father's favorite room.

For a while they sat in silence and Dean knew that Sam was brooding. He had a right to, Dean supposed.

"Well, it seems evident that someone needs to talk to Nicholas," Bobby finally said.

Dean looked at his watch. "He shouldn't be in bed yet."

Ellen took the cordless phone receiver from the base and tossed it to him. Dean caught it without effort and dialed the Raines' number from memory.

---

Their accommodations weren't quite as fancy as the four-star hotel they'd stayed the previous night, but it was the best the small town had to offer. After cleaning up, Kristine and Sebastian walked down the street to a casual restaurant and after being seated, ordered glasses of wine.

"Sebastian," Kristine began once the waitress had left with their drink orders. "I want to apologize for earlier. I was out of line."

"I think it was I who was out of line," Sebastian said gently.

"Still…."

"Let's just call a truce, shall we? If you don't want to call Dean, I won't say anything." He smiled. "And you won't tell me to fuck off."

Kristine couldn't help but laugh. "It's a deal."

"Good. Now, onto a little business."

"Business?"

"This is the town where the nest is supposed to be. I don't sense anyone here, but that doesn't mean much. They could be disguising their scent.'

"Their scent?" Kristine asked. "You know what? Never mind. So, how do we find them if they're….disguised?"

"We follow our plan. Make ourselves known. It likely won't be too difficult to attract their attention since they're aware of you already."

"That's comforting."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"It was my idea, wasn't it?"

Sebastian nodded. "That's true. But perhaps you've come to your senses."

Kristine smiled. "Nicholas and Alex are protected. Kek and his vampires know that. Without Sam and Dean, I'm their most direct route to the boys."

"The only real wildcard is whether or not they'll take the bait –"

"Me."

Sebastian nodded. "And, of course, if Nicholas is important enough to them."

"He's good, Sebastian. He knows so much; more than he realizes. And it's not just dreams any more. He just…he just somehow knows things."

"Once we've determined they're really in town, I can get my people here almost immediately. They're not far away. But we don't allow you to be taken until they're here."

"And you swoop in to rescue the damsel in distress," Kristine smiled.

"Here's hoping. We don't like vampires siding with demons, but…."

"But what?"

"Kek may find others. Or find another way to get to the boys."

"How many vampires have to die before the word is out that working for Kek is a bad idea?"

"It may take more than my group can kill."

They paused their conversation when the waitress dropped off their drinks. Sebastian ordered an appetizer and then turned his attention back to Kristine.

"You were saying?" she asked.

He held up his wine glass. "To this idiotic plan."

Kristine smiled and clinked her glass against his. After a long sip, she put it down and leaned back in her chair.

"I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but don't you think it might be a good idea to have more backup?"

"We've talked about hunters, but that would put you and your people in danger. I don't need that kind of war in my hands."

"I wasn't talking about just any hunters."

Kristine glared at him.

"I told you, I'm not trying to start a fight. I just….Sam and Dean know that not all vampires are out to destroy humanity. And they know how to exorcise demons."

"Be honest about what you're suggesting, Sebastian. You want Sam to use his power."

"It would be…efficient."

"No."

"But –"

"I said no. That isn't an option."

Sebastian looked away and took a long drink from the wine glass before speaking. "If that's the way you want it. But remember, until Kek is destroyed, Nicholas is still in danger."

"I know that. But first we have to get rid of his support."

"The vampires."

Kristine nodded. "Once that's done, there are other hunters who can summon and destroy Kek."

"And tell me again why that can't happen until the vampires are dead?"

"They're protecting him."

"And we know this how?"

"Nicholas knows," Kristine said. "I've told you all this, Sebastian."

"I know. I'm just….reprocessing."

"If you have a better idea, let's hear it."

"I don't," Sebastian said after a few moments of thought. "But I wish I did. This is dangerous."

"I know."

"Those vampires could turn you to get you to talk."

"You'll just have to get there before that happens," Kristine said.

Sebastian looked at her over his wine glass.

"Don't analyze me," she said.

"We have a truce, remember?"

Kristine nodded.

---

Dean listened to the phone at the Raines house ring, hoping he wasn't calling too late. After what seemed like an eternity, Keith answered.

"Hey, Keith, it's Dean Winchester."

"I was about to call you."

"Why?" Dean asked, casting a worried glance at Sam.

"Nicholas wants to talk to you."

"Is he all right?"

"Hold on."

A moment later, Nicholas was on the phone. "You have to stop it, Dean!"

"Stop what, Nicholas?" he asked, another anxious look at his brother.

"Kristine. She's gonna get hurt."

"Calm down, okay? Just take a deep breath and tell me what you know."

"She's gonna get hurt, Dean! The vampires are gonna get her."

"Vampires? Do you know where?"

Nicholas started to cry and then Dean heard Angelica's voice. "Dean?"

"Is he okay?"

"He's scared. I can't get him to calm down enough to focus him on what he saw. He knows more than he's saying; he knows more than he thinks he does. I can tell."

"Angelica, you have to find out where Kristine is. If there are vampires –"

"I know, Dean," she said with more exasperation than anger. "Let me do what I can and I'll call you back."

Dean dropped his phone onto the coffee table in front of him.

"Vampires?" Sam asked.

Dean filled the others in on what little Nicholas had told him. Then he grabbed his phone again.

"Who are you –"

"Kristine. Even if she won't talk to me, I have to let her know I know…" Dean said and stood up. "Can you boot up your computer and get online?"

"Sure….what am I looking for?" Sam asked.

"I'm gonna see if I can get her cell phone company to turn on the GPS."

"The computer is upstairs," Sam said and headed for the hallway.

"I'm gonna make some calls," Bobby said. "Not sure to who, exactly, but maybe someone knows something."

Ellen followed Bobby as Dean dialed Kristine's number.

"Kristine, it's Dean. I don't even know if you're listening to these messages, but if you are, call me. Please. And get somewhere safe. Nicholas just called me, hysterical – he said the vampires are going to hurt you. What the hell are you up to? Just….make sure you're safe and call me. For God's sake, Kristine, please."

Dean rushed up the stairs and got to the bedroom just as Sam had pulled up his web browser. Without a word, he stood up so Dean could have the chair. While navigating to the company Dean hoped still had Kristine's cell account, he scrolled through the contacts on his phone hoping there was someone who might be able to help.

"I should have done this days ago," he grumbled.

When the website loaded, Dean looked for the customer service number and dialed it quickly once he found it. He spoke to several levels of people, using a law enforcement cover story, but Dean wasn't able to talk his way into getting the GPS system turned on.

Frustrated and angry, Dean tossed his phone aside and paced the room. There was no other option than for Nicholas to help them. Dean knew Angelica knew how to talk to him; she had premonitions herself, after all. But Dean wished that he was with Nicholas.

Dean knew that Sam was struggling to come up with an idea, or for even something to say, but to his credit, Sam didn't try to placate him with empty promises.

A few tense minutes later, Dean's cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"It's Keith."

"What's going on? Is Nicholas okay?"

"Angelica got him calmed down. The main thing she got out of him was that whatever he saw happening wasn't going to happen for a few days. It's truly amazing what that boy can see."

"Is Angelica sure that it's not happening for a few days?" Dean asked. He hadn't realized that Nicholas' abilities now extended to seeing things further than a few minutes away.

"Reasonably. I mean, as sure as she can be."

"Does he know where Kristine is? Or where this is going to happen?

Keith didn't answer immediately and Dean heard voices in the background. A moment later, Nicholas was back on the phone. He sounded very young and more than a little scared.

"Dean?"

"Hey, Nicky," he said, trying not to sound as impatient as he felt.

"I saw Kristine. Not for real and not in a dream, but…."

"I know what you mean," Dean said, even though he wasn't sure at all. He didn't think it mattered, though. "Do you know where she is?"

"Me and Angelica tried to figure it out, but…."

"How about we try? I'll put you on speaker so Sam can hear, too."

"Okay."

Dean set the phone on the desk and looked at Sam.

"Hi, Nicholas."

"Hi, Sam."

"Okay," Dean said, hoping something brilliant would occur to him. "Can you tell us what you saw?"

"I told you. Vampires."

"Yeah, I know. But what else? Is Kristine inside or outside?"

"Um….outside."

"What's around her? Buildings? Trees?"

"There are some trees, but mostly buildings."

"Are they big? Remember when we saw the football game? Did you see big buildings like around the stadium?

"Uh-uh."

"What about houses like where you live?"

"Well…."

Dean could almost picture Nicholas as he sat, probably on the couch, thinking and trying to remember what he'd seen in his visions. The adult was forced to be much more patient than he wanted to be.

"Oh!"

"What?" Dean asked, a little startled by Nicholas' sudden enthusiasm.

"That place we went, remember? With all the rides? And where we saw those gunfights?"

Dean thought for a moment, looking at Sam. It suddenly came to him. "Ghost Town?"

"Yeah! 'Member we took that train ride?"

"So, you saw a place with buildings like at Ghost Town?" Dean asked, not wanting him to get off on a tangent about the North Carolina theme park.

"Yeah, sorta."

Dean thought for another moment, then started off on a series of questions about the scenery around the buildings and other things the little boy saw. It was a tedious process, but the only option they had. Once he was sure he had all the information he could get, Dean spent a few more minutes on the phone with Nicholas to make sure he was all right and before ending the call, he talked to Angelica again. He turned to Sam after closing his phone.

"We need a vampire nest in the Midwest; probably Oklahoma."

He saw Sam's surprise. "How the hell –"

"Doesn't matter." Dean nodded toward the computer. "See if you can find anything. I'm gonna go find Bobby."

"Yeah."

Bobby and Ellen were downstairs, both on the phone. Seeing his expression, they ended their calls quickly.

"I think we're looking for a nest in Oklahoma. Sam's seeing if he can work his magic on the 'Net and we'll get on the road as soon as he has something. Bobby, you think you can go to Charlotte? I don't think anything will happen, but if we get on the right trail…"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you need."

Dean nodded. "Thanks. I told Angelica you'd be calling later with an update; told her I was gonna ask you to go. I also asked if she or Keith could give Kristine a call….she won't answer mine, but maybe theirs."

"Good idea," Ellen said.

Dean paced nervously knowing Sam was doing all he could upstairs. He spoke with Keith again; Nicholas was asleep and a message had been left on Kristine's voicemail. Dean had just gotten off the phone when Sam raced into the room.

"Please tell me you found something," Dean said.

"Yeah. I mean, I don't know if it's really the place we're looking for, but –"

"Tell me while we pack."

"I already did that. Our bags are by the back door."

After a flurry of activity, Sam and Dean were on the road in under half an hour. It was just before 9:00 and with good time, they'd be in Painter, Oklahoma in just over 12 hours. Ellen had brewed coffee for them and put some in two commuter mugs with the rest of it going into a thermos.

Dean was running on pure adrenaline and probably didn't need the caffeine, but he drank the coffee anyway. It gave him something else to concentrate on other than the dark highway in front of him.

_tbc_


	3. Chapter 3

**Life Goes On**

Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 1

**A/N: **Looks like the Pacific Northwest might be seeing the light at the end of the snow-filled tunnel. I _might_ even be about to get out of my parking lot later today….Thanks for the reviews and private messages sent so far.

oooOOOooo

_A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week_

- General George S. Patton -

_Well, my Plan B is really not such a bad one_

- George Zoffinger -

oooOOOooo

"Well, this sure as hell blew up in my face," Kristine said as she paced in her motel room after listening to Keith's message. Sebastian watched from the edge of her bed.

"What did Nicholas see?"

"Me. In the middle of a bunch of vampires. Apparently there was a big knife involved, but he's five, so the size could be an exaggeration."

"It doesn't take a big knife to hurt a lot, cariño."

"You're such a joy to be around, you know that?"

He snorted. "I've called my people in and they'll be here within the hour."

"Nicholas doesn't think it's going to happen for a few days, but I'm still fuzzy on how he figured that out."

"I'd rather not rely on the logic of a five-year old."

"Isn't that what we've been doing for a month now?"

"Touché."

The room fell into silence as Kristine continued to pace. Sebastian left her to her thoughts for a while, but finally he stood up and moved closer to her.

"You need to relax," he put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"That would be a good trick."

"Come, sit."

"Sebastian, I—"

"Indulge me."

She looked at him, then let him lead her to a chair. He stood behind her and began to massage her shoulders.

"So tense, cariño."

"Can you blame me?"

"Not at all, but it's not good."

"I…." Kristine sighed and let her head drop.

"That's good," he whispered, leaning closer to her. "Maybe you can relax enough to get a little sleep."

"Let's not get carried away," she said then groaned. "Oh yeah, right there."

He smiled and kneaded the tight muscle he'd landed on.

Fifteen minutes later Kristine was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed with Sebastian on the edge, his hand on her knee.

"Do you think Sam and Dean will find you?"

"Absolutely. Between Nicholas' premonitions and their...Yeah. Hell, Dean's probably been on the phone with my cell phone provider getting the GPS turned on."

"We should have anticipated that."

Kristine looked at him, somewhat guiltily. "I did."

Sebastian decided to keep his comment to himself. He'd never really believed that Kristine was as adamant about not being in touch with Dean as she had acted.

"We can still continue with the plan," he said. "Now we'll just have Sam and Dean in our corner as well."

"If we're going to do that, should we be holed up in this motel room?"

"What do you mean?"

"Shouldn't we be out there bringing attention to ourselves? You know, what we were going to do before Keith called?"

"I don't know. I'd feel better if we had some back-up first. Things have changed."

"Your team should be here any minute, right?"

"Well yes, but –"

"So, we go out and they can stand guard."

"Kristine, that might cause a little _too _much attention."

"Post some of them outside the bar and some of them inside. We'll do what we'd planned to do all along."

"Are you sure about this, cariño?"

"No."

"Ringing endorsement for your own plan."

Kristine smiled. "I'm going to get cleaned up."

"You're not going to call Dean?"

She slipped past him and got off the bed. "I have to think about that."

Sebastian nodded. "All right."

She touched his cheek lightly, then took her bag into the bathroom.

Sebastian laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He hadn't counted on Dean coming into the picture so soon, but it had been bound to happen eventually. Kristine hadn't tried to hide her feelings for the hunter, after all. She had been very insistent on him not becoming involved with the plan and though he'd put up an argument against that, it was Sebastian's true desire that Dean not join them.

He turned his head toward the closed bathroom door when he heard the shower and sighed.

Things were going to get complicated.

---

Kristine decided not to call Dean for the time being. She had no doubt that he was on his way, but there was no guarantee he'd find her on the first try. There was always the possibility that he hadn't been successful getting the GPS turned on and either way, he was at least a day away by car.

Once Sebastian's crew had arrived in town, they discussed strategy and then headed out to the local bar. There was only one in the town and there was no doubt that many of the customers were vampires. The question was whether or not they were the vampires working for the demon, Kek.

There was interaction, but everyone acted as if they were completely human. The game of cat and mouse had begun.

---

Sam and Dean arrived in the Oklahoma town that Sam had found around noon the next day. They were both tired, but wanted to find out if Kristine was there before even trying to sleep. Dean wasn't at all happy that Kristine hadn't returned his call or responded to Keith's message. He was beyond worried and becoming convinced that she'd not left the estate on her own.

There were two motels in town and according to the desk clerks, who both responded very well to cash incentives, no one matching Kristine's description had checked in to either one. They inquired at the only diner in town as well as the gas station, but no one admitted to having seen her.

Careful questioning, though, got them information about the nest that had brought the town to Sam's attention in the first place. There had clearly been vampires in the area, but the last attack had been several days before and the brothers believed that meant the vampires had moved on.

They secured a room in one of the motels and even though they were exhausted, it still took a while for the brothers to fall asleep.

For Dean, it wasn't particularly restful. After less than four hours, he jerked awake with images of what could only be Hell vivid in his mind. His breathing was shallow and there was a sheen of perspiration on his face. The room was cold, but he felt warm.

Moving quietly so as not to wake Sam, Dean went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. If he'd had whiskey or a beer nearby, he would have made quick work of it, but his only option was soda from the vending machine outside. He decided to take a shower instead and tried to forget about his dream.

---

Sam glanced away from the computer when Dean came out of the bathroom. He knew Dean was having nightmares and he vaguely remember it was his brother's muttering that had awakened him earlier.

"Sorry I woke you." Dean said as he slipped a t-shirt over his head.

"You didn't," Sam lied.

The look from Dean told Sam he clearly didn't believe him. "You find anything?"

"Maybe," Sam answered. "This would be a lot easier if we weren't just guessing, though."

"Yeah," Dean sat on the edge of the bed. "I've been thinking and I can't get it out of my head that maybe Kristine didn't leave on her own. She knows how worried we are and now that she knows about Nicholas' premonition, it just doesn't make sense that she wouldn't call."

Sam looked back to the computer, pretending to read something on the screen. He thought it made sense if Kristine knew what he'd been up to. On the other hand, no matter how upset or angry she was with him for disappearing, he couldn't imagine her taking that out on Dean.

He heard Dean sigh. "What do you have?"

"It's just speculation, but based on a couple small news stories I found, the vamps might have moved onto a town about 50 miles west of here."

"May as well check it out."

"Can't hurt," Sam agreed. "I'll take a shower and we can get out of here."

While Sam was in the shower, Dean called Bobby to check in. He was in Charlotte making minor adjustments to the security at the Raines' house. As far as he knew, there had been no calls from Kristine.

"Have you tried to call her?" Dean asked.

"Not lately. I figured if she wasn't talking to you and is now ignoring Keith and Angelica….I'll call if you think it might do some good."

"I have no idea if it will or not," Dean said sadly.

"I'll call her and let you know."

"Thanks, Bobby."

Sam and Dean were on the road less than an hour later after making a stop for food. Bobby's call to Kristine elicited no response from her.

---

Sebastian walked into the coffee shop and found Kristine sitting alone. He slid into the booth across from her and ordered coffee when the waitress walked by.

"You're up early," she noted.

"Your friends drive an Impala, right?" he asked in way of a greeting.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I just saw an old black Impala going down the street."

"Where is it now?" she asked, with some worry in her voice.

"The Wagon Wheel. No doubt they're starting with the first motel and will work their way through town looking for you."

Kristine nodded. "It'll still take them a while since we're not staying here. I should go."

Sebastian grabbed her wrist before she could stand up. "Let's talk about that."

She pulled away angrily.

"I'm sorry, Kristine," he said looking at her kindly. "This is getting ridiculous. Hiding from the Winchesters is only going to make what we're doing here all the more difficult. They're going to find you, so why don't you just call Dean?"

"You don't understand."

"I'm sure I don't. You feel some sort of responsibility for his brother, but your guilt is misplaced, cariño."

She looked at him, but he noticed she couldn't quite manage a glare.

"Maybe so, but –"

"Surely Dean knows that you and Sam weren't in touch. And he's not acting as if he's angry or disappointed; he's acting like he still has great concern for you."

Kristine remained silent for several moments. "I have some calls to make."

"Will one of them be to Dean?"

"Maybe. The Raines should be home by now and I want to make sure that Nicholas is all right. Plus, Bobby and Ellen have called….they're likely to call out the cavalry if I don't get in touch."

"Take the car," he said passing the keys across the table. "We'll catch up later."

She nodded and let her hand linger on his as she took the keys. Once she was gone, Sebastian took a long sip of the coffee thinking to himself that the Winchesters were probably better than the cavalry and how that might end up causing problems for him.

---

As Kristine drove out of town, she saw an Impala parked outside the Wagon Wheel motel. There weren't many 1967 models running around any more and she recognized this one as Dean's. She hesitated at the intersection for a moment, then went straight on her way to the Sunflower where she and Sebastian were staying with some of his crew. It was in a town about 20 miles to the north; they wanted to draw attention to themselves, but weren't interested in uninvited guests.

As she drove back to her motel, Kristine tried to decide in what order to make her calls. She also thought about whether or not to call Dean. He was going to find her tonight, unless not finding her at either of the town's motels would deter him and he'd move on.

She'd finally decided to get rid of her cell phone earlier in the day, though she kept the same number and transferred all of her data to a new one. She'd confirmed with her carrier that an attempt had been made to turn on the GPS tracker, but short of something official from law enforcement, they wouldn't cooperate.

Finally in her room, Kristine called the Raines' house. She'd talked to Keith earlier and assured him that she was in complete control of her actions. When he began to pressure her into calling Dean, she ended the call with a promise to talk to Nicholas later in the evening.

Her call was answered by Alex. He sounded worried, but Kristine tried to convince him that she was all right and completely safe. He knew how accurate his brother's premonitions generally were, though, and he continued to sound concerned.

"Have you called Dean?" Alex asked.

Kristine closed her eyes and leaned back against the bed's headboard. No; not yet."

"Why not? He's looking for you with Sam and they can help."

"I know. I had some really good reasons for not calling before, but I will now."

"You promise?"

Kristine didn't want to promise because she wasn't sure she could actually call Dean and Alex meant too much to her to risk his trust. She'd thought about keeping the boys herself before she found the Raines and the only reason she didn't do it was because of her mental illness. She was completely fine when she took her medication, but any number of things could trigger the depression and she couldn't guarantee she'd always have the emotional capacity to take care of them.

Eyes still closed, Kristine nodded even though Alex couldn't see her. "I promise. But first I want to talk to your brother."

Nicholas was on the phone a moment later and was set to berate Kristine for not calling Dean, but when she immediately told him she'd decided to call, he seemed to lose all his steam.

"You made me worry," he said after a brief hesitation.

"I know I did and I'm really sorry."

"You were going to get hurt."

"Does that mean I'm not now?"

"Not if you let Dean help."

Kristine wasn't sure if his opinion was based on a premonition or his desire that she get in touch with Dean, but she didn't fight it.

"I'm going to call him as soon as you and I are done."

"Bye, then."

Kristine couldn't help but laugh to herself when Nicholas hung up.

---

"What do you want to do?" Sam asked Dean after they'd talked to people at both of the town's motels as well as restaurant and gas station employees.

Dean was leaning against the Impala as he pumped gas and scanned the area.

"I don't want to leave until we can talk to someone at that bar," he said nodding toward a building at the end of the street.

Sam followed his gaze. "It should open soon."

Dean nodded. "Probably."

"We should get a room."

"Probably," Dean said again, his mind clearly on something else.

"You okay?" Sam asked, watching him closely.

"You think I'm doing the right thing? Going after Kristine like this?"

"Why are you questioning it?"

"She obviously doesn't want to see me."

"There could be something going on that we don't know about."

Dean finished pumping the gas. "Maybe."

"You want to leave?" Sam knew the answer.

"No."

They were about to get into the car when Dean's cell phone began to ring. He looked at the caller ID, then at Sam. "It's her."

"I'll give you some privacy," Sam said and walked toward the convenience store.

Dean kept his eyes on Sam while he put the phone to his ear. "Hey, stranger."

"Hi." Her voice was soft and unsure.

"You okay?"

"We should probably talk."

"You think?" Dean asked, trying not to sound too sarcastic.

"I assume you know where McGuffy's is?"

"You know I'm in town?"

"I have to be there for a couple hours tonight. Can you meet me around 10:00?"

"At the bar?"

"Yeah."

Dean wanted to see her immediately, but he was willing to take what he could get. "All right."

"Dean…."

He waited, but she didn't seem about to say anything else. "You still there?"

"Yeah, I am. I just…I'll explain everything, okay?"

"Okay," Dean agreed and before he could say anything else, she was gone.

---

Just before 10:00 that night, Dean walked into the bar and looked around. At first glance, it seemed to be a standard redneck place. The tables were old and worn, the wooden floor was scuffed. There were quite a few customers, most in cowboy hats, while country music was coming from the jukebox. Dean got a few looks from people he assumed to be regulars, but no one stopped him on his way through the crowd.

He ordered a beer, mainly for something to occupy his hands and used the mirror hanging behind the counter to look for Kristine. He didn't see her at first, but then spotted her at a pool table near the back with a pool cue in her hand. He turned around and headed her way, but didn't try to get her attention. Instead, he leaned against the wall to watch; clearly the game had been going on for a while and Kristine was about to put it in the bag. She put a fresh piece of gum into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully for a moment before blowing a bubble and pointing the cue. "Corner pocket."

It wasn't the easiest shot she could have taken, but Kristine landed the eight-ball in the designated pocket earning her a short round of applause from the small group watching the game. She ginned at her opponent and he sighed, pulling out a wad of bills.

"Double or nothing?" he offered.

"Maybe another time, cowboy," Kristine said.

He nodded and counted out the money before handing it to her. As Kristine slipped the cash into her front pocket, another man approached and took the pool cue from her with a smile, their hands touching briefly. It was obvious that they knew each other and Dean assumed this was the man Nicholas had referred to.

There were no promises between Dean and Kristine. He wasn't particularly faithful to her and he knew she had her own habits, but he'd never been witness to it. Knowing something might happen was vastly different than seeing it happen. Or, maybe he was misreading the situation. Better yet, he decided, maybe he should just stop thinking about it.

Dean looked more closely at the man. He was all in black, including his cowboy hat. It seemed more stylish than those worn by the other customers, but had no particular flair. His long black hair was tied back and while he seemed nondescript, there was something about him that certainly stood out.

He turned his attention to Kristine. Her back was to him as she talked to someone who had been watching the match. He couldn't hear their conversation, but the sound of Kristine's laughter at something the other person said reached his ears and he felt a sudden warmth. Dean had missed her, but he hadn't realized just how much until this moment.

She looked the same, but still somehow different. Her light brown hair was shorter than it had been when he'd seen her last and maybe she was more toned. Could be she was working out rather than just taking walks for exercise, he thought. He found it hard to take his eyes off of her, but noticed her friend coming back toward the group with two bottles. He handed one to Kristine and there was more physical contact between them. Dean was surprised at his jab of jealousy over the man's hand on the small of Kristine's back.

Dean didn't move and he knew it was likely that Kristine would walk away without turning in his direction. Before he'd decided what to do, the man in the stylish hat leaned close to her and whispered something into her ear. Dean saw her nod before she turned and made eye contact with him; he hoped he looked composed as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

Dean nodded at her, finding he couldn't move. He wasn't physically restrained, but he was pinned to the wall nonetheless. She walked toward him and Dean noticed her companion glanced over his shoulder before quickly turning his attention back to the group. He said something to them and they followed him to the bar.

"Dean," Kristine said, her voice soft as she stood a few steps from him.

There was an awkward moment, nothing longer than a split second, but Dean imagined her turning away. Before he realized what was happening, Kristine was standing next to him. "Meet me outside."

He waited while she walked toward the door, then followed. He noticed Sam sitting at a table in a corner and he made eye contact. Sam stayed where he was.

Outside, Dean found Kristine on the side of the building and almost before he'd quite reached her, she was in his arms with her lips on his. He was confused, but he followed his instincts and returned the kiss.

---

Dean's lips were as soft as Kristine remembered; his touch as gentle. She didn't want to, but after a moment she pulled away, but kept a hold of his hands.

"So, you really are back," she said with a smile.

Dean cocked his head. "You got all the messages?"

Kristine's smile faltered for a moment. "Yeah, I did."

"Why didn't you call?"

"Where's Sam?" Kristine asked, glancing around the parking lot.

"Inside."

"You want to get out of here? I have a room about 20 miles away."

"Your friend won't mind?" Dean asked. Kristine thought he sounded a little bitter and she couldn't really blame him.

"You want to follow me?" Kristine asked. "My car is right over there."

Dean looked in the direction she'd motioned. "Is that a—"

"Maserati GranSport Spyder."

"Are you kidding me? That's your car?" he asked excitedly.

Kristine walked toward it. "For the time being."

"What year is it?" he asked as he followed her, then walked around the car admiringly.

"2006."

"400 horses, top speed of 180…."

"Blah, blah, blah," Kristine said and held out the keys.

Dean grinned as he took them and slipped into the driver's seat of the black convertible. Kristine wasn't sure if he'd even noticed she'd gotten into the car.

"Damn," he breathed approvingly as he started the engine. "That sounds beautiful."

"If you take a left out of the parking lot, there will be a road about a quarter of a mile on the right. It's a back way where you can open it up without getting arrested."

Kristine didn't have to convince him. With only a glance at his much-loved Impala, Dean headed for the road.

Dean drove the secluded back road at a speed that was probably just a little north of safe and Kristine knew he wasn't satisfied. She'd watched his face as he drove and could see how relaxed he was and the grin on his face made him look like a teenager. It was almost as if there was no wall between them.

The Sunflower was a collection of small cabins arranged in a circle that might have resembled an actual sunflower if viewed from above. There was parking in front of each of the buildings and Kristine directed him to the one she'd rented.

"That was awesome!" Dean roared happily, gunning the engine. "Thanks for letting me drive her."

"I'm just glad we made it here in one piece," Kristine said with a laugh.

Dean ran his hand over the steering wheel and smiled approvingly. Kristine got out of the car and headed toward the cabin.

"Set the alarm when you're done," she called over her shoulder.

Dean spent a few more minutes enjoying the interior and Kristine watched from the cabin's window as he checked out the engine. When he closed the hood, she turned away.

The cabin was basically one large room, though it did have a separate bathroom in the back. The sleeping area was divided from the living room by a pony wall. It was a comfortable enough place to be, but far from stylish.

Kristine wanted to touch Dean as soon as he walked into the cabin, but she remained seated in one of the two chairs.

Dean dropped the car keys onto the ledge of the pony wall and stood, looking very uncomfortable.

"You want something to drink?" she asked.

He shook his head. "So, what's with the car?"

"It's just a car."

"Yeah, right. And the Grand Canyon is just a hole in the ground."

"Why don't you sit down?"

Dean sat across from her and Kristine was surprised when he held out his hand to her. She slipped hers into it and immediately wanted more.

"I need to know that you're okay," Dean said.

"I'm fine," she assured him, feeling the intensity of his gaze. "Dean, I…You were in Hell and you're worried about how _I_ am?"

"What's going on? Why did you leave the estate?"

"It's a long story."

"I have time," he said and Kristine noticed his face fell. "Unless you don't."

"I have time," she said quickly. "But I want to hear about you. Is what Nicholas thought true? You were brought back by an angel?"

"I didn't realize he'd told you."

"Not until recently. So, it's true?"

Dean nodded and proceeded to tell her about Castiel and his few encounters with the angel. Kristine couldn't help but think he was leaving out a lot of detail, but they had quite a bit of ground to cover.

"So, you don't remember anything?" Kristine asked when he stopped speaking. "Nothing about Hell?"

"Nothing before waking up in the box."

Kristine shuddered. "That must have been awful."

Dean blew off the comment with a shrug.

"Did he tell you why he brought you back?" she asked.

"Not exactly," he said and Kristine suspected that wasn't the entire truth.

"How do you feel about all this?"

Dean looked at their hands, still entwined. "I don't know. I mean, angels being real?"

"Seems only fair that there are angels. Nice of them to finally show up….any idea why now?"

"Usual reason, I guess," he said. "Looming apocalypse."

"Are you serious?" she asked feeling as if a rock had just landed in her stomach.

"I don't know much of anything yet." They sat in silence for a moment and then Dean said, "I think it's your turn. Your boyfriend isn't going to walk in here, is he?"

"He's not my boyfriend," she pulled away and returned with two beers from a refrigerator that also doubled as a TV stand.

"I'm sorry," Dean said as he twisted off the cap of the bottle she handed him. "I didn't mean –"

"I know," Kristine nodded and took a sip of her drink. "God, I missed you."

"Why didn't you return the calls, then?"

"I was going to. It's just….it wasn't that I didn't want to see you. I hadn't heard any rumors yet, so when I listened to Sam's message…Things are just more complicated now than they used to be."

"Yeah, no kidding," Dean snorted. He took a thoughtful sip of the beer. "Why'd you leave the estate?"

She took a deep breath. "A lot of reasons. I tried to pretend everything was okay, but it just wasn't. You were gone and…"

She looked away, but turned back toward him and put her hand back on the table. He laid his over it and their fingers laced together again.

"At first I just wanted some time away. I was going to hang out with Lori in New York," Kristine said of her childhood friend. "But she was in the middle of some big case. I know Ellen is probably pissed at me for taking off like I did, but it was just something I had to do. I had to get away. I didn't intend for it to be so long at first. I figured I'd just be gone for a few days. I left her a note and took off early one morning."

"Why didn't you return her calls?"

"It's stupid," Kristine glanced at him, seemingly embarrassed. "I didn't want to hear her yell at me."

Dean couldn't help but laugh.

"I listen to the voicemails, I read the emails. And it's not like I _never_ respond," she shrugged, eyes back on the bottle.

"Why don't you just me what's been going on with you?" Dean asked after another silence.

"What about Sam?"

"Sam's fine," Dean said. "I called him before I came inside."

Kristine hadn't seen that and she thought it had to have been a short conversation. She figured it didn't really matter, though she had to wonder what he might do while Dean was gone. It took her a moment to force the unkind thought from her head and she realized he could possibly be in danger.

"You should call him again and tell him to get back to his room."

"We know there are vampires here."

"Vampires who are probably after me by now and who want Nicholas. Sam needs to be somewhere safe."

She met Dean's eyes, but couldn't quite read his expression. After a moment, he took out his phone and made the call. The brothers had an efficient way of communicating when they needed to and the call didn't last long.

Kristine didn't want to talk. She wanted to be in Dean's arms and she wanted him in her bed. Besides that, she didn't really want to tell him about the plan. Sometimes it seemed like the best way to handle the situation, but other times it seemed stupid and foolhardy. She wasn't a hunter and knew better than to pretend to act like one; especially with all the real hunters who would come to her aid with just a phone call.

Dean leaned forward. "Talk to me."

Kristine was unsure and took a long swallow from the bottle, hoping there was enough beer for her to get through this. Once she forced herself to start speaking, it was easy. She only glanced at Dean occasionally and didn't see any anger or disappointment in his eyes. She saw a lot of worry, but he didn't chastise her for making foolish decisions.

"Why didn't you ask Bobby for help? Or Tom?"

"Tom knew what I was doing. He didn't like it, but he thought it might be an efficient way to handle things. I thought you knew he'd disappeared."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, we found that out. But Bobby?"

"He wouldn't have let me do this, Dean. You know that."

"He might have come up with another way."

"Maybe, but…"

"But?"

"I just couldn't call him. It was too hard after you were gone and then Sam…" Kristine smiled fondly. "Your dad was right."

"My dad?" Dean seemed taken aback at the sudden change of topic.

"John once told me that you were the glue that held your family together. Seems like that's still true. Without you….Sam, me, Bobby….we fell apart."

"My dad said that?" Dean asked quietly.

"Yeah, he did."

Dean looked thoughtful, then cleared his throat. "What about the guy in the bar? And when did you get so good at pool?"

Kristine grinned. "Just because I never beat you, doesn't mean I'm not good."

"So, you're saying you were faking it when you played with me?"

Her grin widened.

"What else have you faked? No, don't answer that," he said as Kristine laughed.

They sat in another silence, this one comfortable, for quite a while.

"You're really not going to like this part," Kristine finally said.

"You may as well hit me with it."

"Sebastian, the guy at the bar, he's a vampire."

"What?"

"He and his family don't like that vampires are helping a demon, so we teamed up."

"A vampire? Kristine!"

"I can trust him."

"But—"

"I met him through Lenore," she said, speaking of the leader of a group of vampires that the brothers had run into a couple of years before. They had no interest in feeding off humans and just wanted to coexist.

Dean sighed. "This is one dangerous plan you came up with."

"Yeah," Kristine had to agree.

"You haven't really explained why you didn't return my calls. Or Sam's, once you knew I was alive."

Kristine tried to pull away, but Dean held fast to her hand. "Talk to me."

"I….This is hard."

"Sam told me how he took off on you."

She looked at him, surprised. "He told you that?"

Dean nodded. "You've been blaming yourself, right?"

She felt tears burn her eyes. "You asked me to take care of him."

"I asked you _both_ to keep in touch with each other. I didn't want to leave either of you alone."

"I felt like I let you down."

"No one makes Sam do anything he doesn't want to," Dean said. "Not even me. But I at least have the advantage of being his brother, so he cuts me some slack once in a while," Dean looked at her, then it seemed an idea occurred to him. "Is that why you were so hell-bent on doing something to help Nicholas? You felt like you'd failed with Sam, so –"

"Something like that."

Dean caressed her hand. "Are you sure we aren't related?"

Kristine smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I really hope we're not related."

She leaned across the table and kissed him gently. He pulled her forward and she ended up on his lap. Kristine didn't want to talk and the look on Dean's face said he didn't want to, either. She didn't want to rush; she wanted to savor every moment of being with Dean again. She kissed him gently, slowly, touching his face and his arms.

Dean didn't seem to be in any hurry either and he held her close while returning her kisses just as tenderly. Eventually Kristine pushed Dean's jacket from his shoulders. She stood up and pulled him to his feet as the coat fell to the floor. The room seemed to dissolve around them. All Kristine could see was Dean and he was all that she felt. For all she knew, they were floating in midair as they moved toward the bed.

---

"I'm glad you don't remember what happened to you in Hell," Kristine said later. She was leaning up on one elbow, scratching Dean's back slowly with her fingernails.

"Yeah, but there are other things I remember.'

"What do you mean?"

"I met my grandparents."

Her fingers stopped moving for a moment, but Dean didn't move his eyes to look at her face.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Castiel sent me back. I saw my mom and dad before they got married. Her parents…they were hunters. My mom was a hunter."

"Are you serious?" Kristine asked. "Of course you are. That's….are you okay with knowing that?"

"It explains a lot."

"It does?"

Dean took a deep breath and then spent the next several minutes telling her about the time he'd spent with his family in the past. It was hard to talk about the deal his mother had made; Dean hadn't quite wrapped his head around it yet even though several weeks had passed since the experience. He'd told Sam about most of what he'd leaned, but Dean had kept the deal to himself.

"I haven't told Sam all of it," Dean said after some silence.

Kristine brushed her lips across his cheek. "He probably doesn't need to know."

"He gets really pissed when I keep things like that from him. It reminds him of Dad."

"So, why haven't you told him, then?"

"He's had a tough break, ya know? This whole demon blood thing and growing up the way he did…"

"You grew up the same way, Dean."

"I had a few years of normal. I had a few years with Mom."

"Four years, babe. How much of that time do you even remember?"

"It doesn't matter. We've both had our share, I guess, but I never had a demon on my ass wanting me to lead some crazy demon army. I never had the visions that caused migraine-level headaches. I'm not gonna compare our shit cuz we both have more than enough."

Kristine kissed him again. "You're a good brother, Dean."

He said nothing and just let himself enjoy the feel of her skin against his. She was still scratching his back gently.

"You keep that up, I'm going to fall asleep," he said after a few minutes.

"Then go to sleep," she whispered, kissing his ear softly.

"What about…what's his name? Sebastian?"

"What about him?"

"He isn't…?

"He's a vampire, Dean. We're not together."

Dean finally looked at her face. "I'm glad."

She touched his cheek and Dean rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him.

---

Sam took the necessary precautions, but made it through the night without incident. He hadn't expected Dean to come back to their room and wasn't surprised when he woke up alone the next morning. He'd stayed at the bar the night before even after getting Dean's second call and he had no doubt he had been surrounded by vampires. He was also sure the man Kristine had clearly been with was one of them and he hoped Dean was able to get to the bottom of what was going on.

As he thought about the situation while he showered, it occurred to him that there was a similarity between his teaming up with Ruby and Kristine working with a vampire. And considering his own interaction with Ruby, he wondered how far Kristine had let things get with her companion. He didn't know all the details, but Dean had talked to him briefly about Kristine's adventurous sexual escapades.

Sam wanted to check on his brother, but didn't want to interrupt anything. He was concerned, but didn't think Dean would be unsafe with Kristine. Instead, he called Bobby and found out that everything was completely normal in North Carolina. Since he and Dean had to cancel their trip back, Bobby was stuck watching Nicholas and Alex for the day. He grumbled, but Sam didn't think he was being entirely honest about his displeasure over the situation.

After spending a few minutes on the computer, Sam left the motel in search of breakfast. He knew that vampires tended to sleep during the day, but he remained on alert. He was just about to walk into a diner when his cell phone rang. He was more relieved than he'd expected seeing his brother's number on the caller ID display.

"Hey," he answered. "Everything okay?"

"I'm not sure how to answer that."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, not without a little alarm.

"I'm fine, but…Kristine has gotten herself involved in something," Dean paused with a laugh. "Well, I guess it's no more stupid that some of the things we've done."

"That isn't encouraging."

"We're in Stoville, just north of you. How about you come up here and meet us for breakfast?"

That wasn't something Sam really wanted to do. He still felt bad about how things had played out between him and Kristine, but he didn't really have a choice.

"Should I check out of the motel?"

"We'll talk about that when you get here."

---

Sam could have driven faster, but he stuck to the speed limit. He was apprehensive about seeing Kristine; he didn't know what she knew about him and Ruby and what she might tell Dean about it. He knew it was long past time that he came completely clean with his brother, but Dean was going to hate the whole truth so much. It was hard enough for him to know that Sam could exorcise demons with his mind; Sam just wanted him to get used to that before learning the rest…..At least that's what Sam told himself.

He found the diner Dean told him about with no problem and parked out front. He saw Dean and Kristine through the big window and watched them for a few minutes before going inside. They were in a booth near the door, on opposite sides. He'd either have to sit next to Kristine or across from her where he wouldn't be able to avoid her eyes. He saw how Dean was sitting; he was somehow relaxed despite whatever mess Kristine was in. Sam wished that Dean would admit how he really feels about Kristine, but he didn't think his brother would ever be able to do that.

Sighing to himself, Sam got out of the car and made his way inside. Kristine was facing the door and she smiled as soon as she saw him. He froze n mid-step when she slid out of the booth and came toward him; he steeled himself for whatever was coming. He couldn't believe it when she smiled and put her arms around him. He hugged her back and glanced at Dean, seeing a satisfied look on his face.

"I was afraid you were going to slug me," Sam said quietly.

Kristine pulled away. "Don't think I didn't consider that first."

He looked at her. "I'm sorry. You helped me when I was sick and –"

"We're good."

Sam smiled, relieved. "Just like that?"

"Yeah, just like that," she said with a smile.

And a moment later, they were seated with Dean and discussing the problem at hand.

---

"I gotta agree with you, Dean," Sam said once he'd heard the plan. "It's no more stupid than some of the things we've done."

Kristine gave Dean a dirty look. "Did you say that?"

"You can't possibly disagree."

"Well…" she shrugged. "I guess you guys _have_ done some pretty stupid things."

"That's not funny," Dean said, leveling a look at her.

"It's a little funny," Kristine smiled.

Sam sat back in the booth, enjoying the friendly banter. After a few minutes, they were back on topic.

_tbc_


	4. Chapter 4

**Life Goes On**

Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 1

oooOOOooo

_Welcome to my nightmare  
Welcome to my breakdown  
I hope I didn't scare you  
That's just the way we are when we come down  
We sweat and laugh and scream here  
'cuz life is just a dream here  
You know inside you feel right at home here_

- Welcome to my Nightmare (Alice Cooper) -

oooOOOooo

Later that night, at just past sunset, a group of vampires sat in a vacant house that they'd taken over. It was on two acres of land and surrounded by trees, so no one even noticed they were there. Two were at a table discussing recent events.

"You're sure it was the Winchesters?"

"Who could mistake that car?"

"I'd heard that Dean was back; yanked out of Hell by an angel."

"You think that means there's an angel nearby?"

"Don't you think we'd know?"

"What do I know about angels?"

"You think he's here to help that Ryan woman?"

"Probably."

"What does that mean for us?"

"Nothing. We'll take her just like we planned."

"And go up against Sebastian _and_ the Winchesters?"

"You afraid?"

"Of course I'm afraid! One of the Winchesters has some kind of power over demons and the other one was ripped out of Hell by an angel."

"Are we ready to take her?"

After a sigh, "I guess we'll find out."

---

"I'm not sure about this," Dean said as he and Sam walked into their motel room. Dean dropped a duffle bag just inside the door.

"What part? Kristine still being bait or talking to Sebastian?"

Dean flashed him a dirty look and sat down on the edge of the bed. "She's working with a vampire; you're working with a demon. Bobby still better be solo."

"Nice, Dean," Sam said as he walked into the bathroom.

Dean looked at the closed door and sighed. He hadn't meant to hurt Sam's feelings, but he'd only said what he knew to be true. He'd seen Sam using his power with Ruby encouraging him. Sam had told him Ruby was gone and while she had been for a while, he'd skipped that part of the story. Even when Dean asked him a direct question about her.

Dean sighed and ran a hand over his face. He didn't want to make Sam angry and he didn't want to hurt him. He didn't want to work with Sebastian, but not so much because he was a vampire so much as because he seemed to have more of a relationship with Kristine than she was willing to admit. They might not be together, but there was something between them. Dean was sure of that.

Sam came out of the bathroom and sat down at the desk with barely a glance in his brother's direction.

"I'm sorry."

Dean saw Sam's shoulders straighten and a moment later he turned around.

"It's not like it isn't true," Sam said with a shrug. "Or at least it was. Sort of."

"One of these days –"

"I'll tell you about it. Some time."

Dean looked at him, trying to read Sam's gentle expression.

"What did Kristine say about this Sebastian dude?" Sam asked after a few minutes of silence. "Other than him being a vampire."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"How does she know she can trust him?"

"She said she met him through Lenore."

"She's still in touch with Lenore?" Sam sounded surprised.

"I guess," Dean said. "I…"

"What?" Sam prompted, his brow furrowed in concern.

"She says they're not together and I believe her, but…" he stood up and looked out of the window for no particular reason before turning back to the room. "I saw them at the bar. The way he…there's something she isn't telling me."

Sam turned away and Dean thought he looked guilty.

"What, Sam?"

"Nothing. Just…look, man, if she's telling you they're not together, then they're not together."

"Yeah," Dean sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

He picked up the bag and put it on one of the beds. "We should get ready."

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

Dean took weapons from the bag and laid them out on the bed while Sam went to the closet. A few minutes later they were both engrossed in cleaning weapons and checking supplies.

Over breakfast, the three had discussed Kristine and Sebastian's plan. Despite the inherent danger, both Winchesters had to admit that it had promise. Killing the vampires working with Kek would send a message into the community and might bring the demon out of hiding. At the very least, it would probably make other vampires question working for Kek.

It was Sam who suggested that instead of just trying to kill all the vampires, they try to capture one. It would send the same message to the vampire world and maybe give the Winchesters an avenue to get more information. They'd not been able to find out much about Kek because of Dean's deadline. Their attention had been focused on trying to find a way to keep him from going to Hell and once Dean was gone, Kek had been the last thing on Sam's mind.

"We need to find Tom," Sam said after a long companionable silence.

"Bobby's working on finding Tom and hopefully we can actually grab a vamp that has some information."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. He looked at Dean and seemed about to say something, but stayed quiet.

"What?" Dean asked him.

"I, uh, I just….did you talk to Kristine about me? I mean, because the way she…at the diner –"

"That was all her, Sam."

Relieved, Sam nodded and went back to work.

---

"It changes things that the Winchesters are here," Sebastian said in his own motel room.

Another vampire sat across from him, looking more stylish than the tacky room should have allowed. He was only wearing jeans and a button-down shirt, but he had quite an air about him. It was nothing that Sebastian noticed, but humans did.

"What are you thinking?"

Sebastian shook his head thoughtfully. "I'm not sure, Nathaniel. No doubt they will not like using Kristine as bait, so we may need to come up with another way."

"You're still talking about getting rid of those rogues, aren't you?" Nathaniel asked with a slight Southern accent. Sebastian thought he sounded somewhat suspicious.

"Of course," he said with a wave of his hand.

"We're only working one side here, right? Or is there something you haven't told the rest of us?"

Sebastian looked at him with a hard expression, but Nathaniel didn't back down. After a moment his eyes widened and he started to speak, but Sebastian stopped him.

"Be careful with your choice of words."

"Please tell me you aren't thinking about what I think you are."

"The priority at the moment is to kill the rogues. It's bad enough that they've always been sloppy with their feeding, but for them to work with a demon is unacceptable. We need to put an end to that," Sebastian sat back in his chair and casually crossed one leg over the other. "What might come next is my business."

"Sebas –"

"_My _business."

Nathaniel relented and stayed quiet.

The silence in the room was disrupted by a knock on the door. Nathaniel cast a glance out the window as Sebastian made his way across the small room.

"Hello, cariño," he smiled opening the door. "Come in."

Kristine moved past him and into the room. She nodded toward Nathaniel, but there was no verbal greeting. Sebastian didn't close the door and Nathaniel seemed to catch his meaning. He stood up and after a quick look at Kristine, he went outside.

"I'll be in touch," Sebastian said. Nathaniel glanced back into the room, then nodded before he walked away.

Sebastian put a smile on his face before he closed the door and turned back to Kristine. She was standing next to the pony wall, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her coat.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"Not at all," he said. "Sit down; make yourself comfortable."

Kristine sat down at the table and accepted the soda that Sebastian retrieved from the refrigerator.

"Where are your friends?" he asked, sitting across from her. He didn't worry that Kristine would notice that his smile was phony. He'd had years to practice and humans never saw through him anymore.

"At their own motel," Kristine said. "You and I are meeting up with them soon."

"We are?"

"I doubt you're surprised that they want to help."

Sebastian nodded. "I figured as much. Well, either that or they'd talk you out of it."

"Can't say Dean didn't try, but we came up with an enhancement instead."

Sebastian raised his eyebrows. "How so?"

Kristine told him about the idea to capture one of the vampires in hopes of getting information. Sebastian didn't tell her, but he'd considered the same thing when they were originally deciding what they wanted to do. While he did want to kill the vampires that were making things harder for his own group, his real motivation wasn't the eventual exorcism of Kek.

He nodded, pretending to be thinking over the amended plan. "It's a good idea."

"Sam and Dean are making preparations and I told them we'd meet up with them before going to the bar tonight. I thought you could look things over and –"

"Give them my professional opinion?" he smiled.

"Something like that."

Sebastian looked at her. "So, you and Dean….I assume you spent time alone with him?"

Kristine nodded, looking down.

"Are things all right between you?" Sebastian asked with a gentle tone.

"We talked. I told him why I avoided him," she shrugged. "I don't know what will happen next."

"And what about Nicholas' premonition that it was an angel who brought him back?" Sebastian had known that was the rumor before meeting Kristine and finding out about Nicholas.

Kristine nodded. "Dean confirmed it."

"That's amazing," Sebastian said. "I'd begun to doubt that angels were real. I wonder what it means that they're among us?"

"According to Dean, there's a looming apocalypse."

"That's a cheery thought. I imagine that vampires won't be looked upon very kindly."

Kristine looked at him as if that thought hadn't occurred to her and he smiled. "On the other hand, perhaps things will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and helping rid the world of this demon will give my family a gold star."

"Nothing is ever easy," Kristine sighed.

"One problem at a time, cariño," Sebastian said as he reached for her hand. She'd never resisted him before, but now he got the feeling that it made her uncomfortable. He could only assume what had gone on between her and Dean while they were alone and he wasn't surprised to find that he'd lost some of the ground he'd established with Kristine.

She smiled at him, but her eyes didn't look happy. "I guess that's all we can do."

---

The Winchesters waited for Kristine and Sebastian at the diner near their motel, sure that they were the object of interest of more than one vampire. They pretended not to notice; especially since they didn't know which ones they'd be working with and which ones they'd be trying to kill.

Knowing their presence would bring more attention to Kristine, Dean didn't insist on meeting in a more private place. He wasn't a big fan of the plan that she'd devised, but he had to admit that it would probably have the desired effect. He was still a little uncomfortable about working with vampires, but he'd done worse.

Dean looked at his watch. It was just after the time Kristine said she'd be there and he was already worried. Sam must have noticed.

"She's not even five minutes late, man."

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

"You sure you're okay with this?"

"When did I ever seem okay with it?" Dean asked with a wry smile.

Sam didn't say anything.

"I still can't believe she put herself in this position."

"I was wondering about that," Sam said quietly. "Did she tell you why? I mean, I know she wants to protect Nicholas and Alex, but…."

"That's why she's doing it," Dean said. It wasn't the complete truth, but Sam didn't need to know any more. He probably already suspected anyway and there was enough misplaced guilt for everyone to get more than enough.

Dean saw the convertible pull into a spot in front of the diner. Sam followed his gaze as a well dressed man got out of the driver side and walked around the car. He opened the other door and held his hand out for Kristine. She accepted it and stood up.

Dean noticed Sam's glance toward him as Kristine and walked through the door with the man's hand on her back. Dean tried not to react and he was relieved when Kristine slid into the booth next to him. He rested his arm on the back of the seat and let his hand touch her shoulder lightly. She leaned close to him.

A moment later she made the introductions.

"Your reputations precede you," Sebastian said with a smile.

"Is that so?" Dean knew his tone wasn't quite friendly, but he had a bad feeling about the vampire despite Kristine's trust in him.

"Of course. Everyone has heard of the Winchesters and besides, it's not every day someone is pulled out of Hell by an angel."

Dean smiled slightly. "So, what's your interest in all this?"

"I don't like it when some vampires make it harder for others. Sloppy feeding is bad enough, but working with a demon? That's just unacceptable."

"Really," Dean said. "Why is that, exactly?"

He felt Kristine's hand stiffen as it rested on his leg, but he ignored her warning.

"It's bad business. Not all evil creatures are on the same side."

Sebastian's grin was more chilling than warm, but Dean returned it with his own smile. He shot a glance to Sam, who looked like he'd prefer to be anywhere but sitting next to this vampire.

"Okay," Kristine said as Dean and Sebastian glared at one another. "About the plan for tonight…"

"Ah yes," Sebastian said. "I understand there have been some changes."

"Just one," Kristine cut Dean off as he began to speak. "We try to grab one of the bad guys."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Sebastian asked, his eyes on Dean.

"Dead man's blood," he answered. "Among other things."

Kristine cleared her throat. "Can we do this without the glares?"

Dean turned his eyes toward her when she caressed his thigh under the table.

"I think we can all agree that we're being watched and it will be much more convincing that we're one big happy family if the sniping isn't going on."

"I don't know, cariño," Sebastian smiled. "In my experience the happiest of families often snipe at one another. What do you think, Dean?"

"I think we have a lot to go over and should probably get to it."

---

It still wasn't a great plan, but it was a plan with a decent chance of success. Sometimes that's as good as it got. Earlier the brothers had found an abandoned barn that they rigged with all sorts of protection against vampires. Dean couldn't help but enjoy watching Sebastian's discomfort when he looked around.

Sam and Dean were sure they'd not been detected earlier when they'd found the barn, but the sun was down now and the group had intentionally been careless as they left the diner. They were hoping that the group working with Kek didn't suspect that they were really onto them. Sebastian's people were already in place around the barn and if things worked out, the attack would come before prior to leaving for the bar. If not, there was a contingency plan in place. Again, it wasn't a good plan, but perfection was rarely an option.

Dean hated that Kristine was going to be in danger, but he didn't see any way around that. He also hated that her life might depend on a vampire that he didn't trust. It didn't matter to him that Kristine did; there was something about him.

"You okay?" Sam asked his brother as he stood next to him in the barn.

"Sure."

"No, you're not."

"Sam –"

"You're tense and you're acting a little bit like an ass," he said quietly.

"Gee, thanks, Sammy."

"I know you don't trust Sebastian, but I think it's more because he—"

Dean looked at him. "Because he what? Has a relationship with Kristine that she lied about?"

"You don't know what their relationship is, man. And it doesn't matter right now. Don't let it get between you and the job."

Dean wanted to be angry, but Sam was right. He sighed. "Fine."

"You mean that?"

"There isn't really a choice, is there?"

The brothers turned toward the door, weapons drawn, when it opened.

"Hold off; they're with me," Sebastian said.

Dean looked to Kristine for confirmation and she nodded. "This is Nathaniel."

"We're ready," the vampire reported, looking at Sebastian. "And so are the others."

"They're here?" Sebastian asked.

Nathaniel nodded. "Yep."

Sebastian looked at Kristine. "Are you ready?"

"What the hell?" she shrugged.

A moment later she and Sebastian began to yell at each other, fighting in the way they'd discussed before. Sam and Dean pretended to try to diffuse the situation, but as planned, Kristine stormed out of the barn with Nathaniel on her heels.

They were almost to Nathaniel's car when a vampire came seemingly from nowhere and grabbed Kristine. Sebastian's people were on them immediately. In the flood of movement that followed, Dean lost track of her. He was panicked, but had to trust that Nathaniel had her. Besides, he had a part to play.

---

"Where is she?" Dean demanded once the battle was over. He'd tried to call Kristine's cell phone, but got her voicemail.

Some of Sebastian's family had been hurt, but they were all still alive. The same couldn't be said for the ones working with Kek. Some had no doubt escaped, but most of them were dead outside. And as they'd planned, there was one tied to a chair in the middle of the barn, suffering the effects of dead man's blood.

"We'll find her," Sebastian assured him, sounding somewhat shaky. "I'm sure Nathaniel is with her as we –"

"Oh yeah? You–"

Sam stepped between his brother and Sebastian. Surrounded by members of Sebastian's group, they were outnumbered and a fight would be a bad idea.

"Sebastian, why don't you give Nathaniel a call?" Sam suggested.

The vampire was already reaching for his phone and Sam gave Dean a pointed look over his shoulder.

"He's not answering," Sebastian said. "I got his voicemail."

Ignoring Sebastian, Dean stormed toward the captured vampire. He was barely awake, but groaned loudly when Dean grabbed his shirt and forced him so sit up. Sam knew he needed something to take his anger out on and the safest target at the moment was the enemy. He turned his attention back to Sebastian.

"Why don't we just head out to where Nathaniel was supposed to take Kristine?" Sam suggested.

"I'll send –"

"No," Sam said. "I want to go. Why don't you come with me?"

"Do you think it's safe to leave your brother here with him?" Sebastian asked, gesturing to Dean. He was questioning the vampire in a rather physical way.

"Can't your people handle him?" Sam asked with a frozen smile.

"Fine," Sebastian said, matching Sam's tone. "Let's go."

Sam moved toward Dean. "Get anything yet?"

"No," Dean growled. "He's still too far under."

"Sebastian and I are going to where Nathaniel and Kristine were going to hold up –"

"I'm going."

"Dean, I –"

"I have to, Sam."

Sam glanced around, hands on his hips. "What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know," Dean said. He looked toward Sebastian.

"Kristine trusts him," Sam pointed out quietly.

"I don't."

Sam nodded. "Okay. Let's go find Kristine. He can oversee what's going on here."

"I don't think you get to just decide what I'm going to do," Sebastian said. He smiled, but there was no humor in it.

"What do you suggest, then?" Dean asked. "Kristine could be in trouble and –"

"Nathaniel is my family. If Kristine is in trouble, it would mean that he is as well," Sebastian looked to one of the other vampires. "You know what information we want. Question this one when he's more awake."

"Of course."

Sebastian turned back to the brothers. "Let's go."

---

Kristine opened her eyes and carefully looked around. She recognized her room at the Sunflower and she seemed to be alone. She knew that her head hurt, but didn't think she was hurt anywhere. After carefully sitting up and making sure she'd stay upright, she looked around again.

"What the hell?" she asked herself. The last thing she remembered was running off with Nathaniel like they'd planned.

But she wasn't supposed to be here. They'd found a safe place in between Painter and Stoville; she and Nathaniel were supposed to stay there until they were contacted. Kristine was still wearing her bomber jacket and she reached into the pockets for her cell phone, but it wasn't there. She looked to the bedside table, but the phone was gone.

"Sonofabitch," she muttered.

Kristine stood up and looked out the window. She didn't see any cars she recognized, but that didn't mean anything. When she tried to open the door, she found it was locked from the outside.

"Great."

She checked both windows in the cabin, but couldn't get either one open. She wondered where Nathaniel was and how she'd gotten here, but she knew she wasn't going to like the answer once she knew.

Kristine looked at the big window in the front of the cabin. It would be easy enough to throw a chair through the glass and escape, but she didn't know if that would be a good idea. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to get her here; her phone was gone as was the room phone. The door had been locked from the outside. What would happen if she broke the window?

"Only one way to find out," she said to herself and picked up the wooden desk chair.

Before she could throw it, she heard a key in the door and quickly put it down, her eyes looking for something she could use as a weapon.

"It's me, Kristine. I'm coming in."

She recognized Nathaniel's voice and a moment later he was in the room with her.

"What's going on?" she demanded, realizing her voice didn't sound particularly authoritative.

"I went out for some food. I figured you'd have a headache and you'd need to eat something."

She looked at him suspiciously. "You drugged me?"

"Maybe a little. And I locked you in because I didn't want to take the chance you'd be able to get in touch with Sebastian. Not yet."

"Why?" she asked, suspicion being replaced by fear. "You're not going to tell me he's really working for Kek, are you?"

"No. And neither am I," Nathaniel put a bag on the table and backed away. "There's a sandwich in there; turkey and Swiss."

She barely glanced at the bag. "Tell me what's going on."

"Sebastian….Kristine, I am what I am. I'm a vampire. I don't remember what it's like to be human anymore and I'm fine with how things are."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because…" Nathaniel looked away for a moment. When he turned back to her, Kristine saw an intense sadness in his eyes. "I love Sebastian. He's a good leader for our group and he's helped me; he's been like a father or a brother…."

"Nathaniel, I don't –"

"Sebastian has feelings for you, Kristine."

That wasn't something anyone had to tell her. It wasn't anything she and Sebastian had ever talked about and she couldn't deny she'd let him get closer than she should have. Dean was gone and she felt she'd lost Sam….but Sebastian was a vampire and that's where it ended between them. At least as far as Kristine was concerned.

"Nathaniel –"

"He was completely committed to helping you with Nicholas and Alex. He still is. But…"

"What?" Kristine asked, a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Nathaniel looked at her. "Sebastian wants to turn you, Kristine."

"What?" she breathed, grateful there was a chair right behind her. She sat down hard.

"He wanted me…he _ordered_ me to take you away from here. Not to the house we found. He was going to meet us and…."

"I –"

"But I couldn't do it, Kristine," Nathaniel said with tears in his eyes. "We don't turn people by force. I've _never_ turned anyone, not even someone who begged for it. As I said, I'm happy enough with what I am, but it's a curse, Kristine. It's a curse that I don't wish on anyone."

"Dean must be going insane. I have to call him, Nathaniel."

The vampire nodded. "I called someone in the group – no one else knew what Sebastian's plans were. Anyway, he's gone off with Sam and Dean to look for you."

"I have to get word to him," Kristine insisted. "Where's my phone?"

"If you call Dean, Sebastian –"

"I'm not going to call Dean. I'm going to call a mutual friend. If he calls Dean, there's no way for Sebastian to know the call is about me."

Nathaniel thought about it, then took Kristine's phone from his back pocket.

"Thank you,' she said quietly.

---

Bobby was relieved to get Kristine's call, but he didn't like what she had to say. They kept their conversation short, but Bobby took the time to tell her that things were fine with Nicholas and Alex. They understood that she and the Winchesters were busy taking care of things, but were anxious to see them again.

While waiting for Dean to get in touch with her, Kristine couldn't help but wonder if Nicholas had seen what Sebastian had in store for her. If he'd known or understood what he'd seen, she was sure he would have told her.

She sat at the table and nibbled at the sandwich Nathanial had brought for her. He sat quietly across the room, seemingly afraid to talk to her. He'd supplied her with various things that would slow Sebastian down if he came to the room, including a knife laced with dead man's blood, so maybe it was more that he was afraid to come near her. Kristine looked at him.

"Sebastian is gonna be pissed at you, you know."

He nodded. "I'll have to go into hiding."

"You were willing to give up your family for –"

"For what was right," he said. "If you'd wanted to be turned that would have been one thing, but…"

"Has Sebastian done this before? Turned someone by force?"

"A very long time ago," Nathaniel said, his face sad. "Her name was Maria and he loved her very much. She was killed by a hunter over 20 years ago and he's been without a mate that entire time."

Kristine shuddered at the term _mate_, but she said nothing. She looked at Nathaniel again a few moments later. "We hardly know each other. A month is no time at all; especially for not someone who is immortal."

Nathaniel didn't meet her eyes.

"What?" she prompted him.

"He's known you longer than that. Or known _of_ you, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Just like the Winchesters are well known, so are you. He's been watching you, finding out things about you. At first I think it was because you help hunters and he tries to keep up on the more…prolific vampire hunters. He met Lenore quite by accident a couple of years ago and used that friendship to orchestrate a meeting with you."

Kristine shuddered again. She didn't like to think that what she did put her in the sights of vampires, demons and all manner of supernatural bad guys; it was easier just to pretend all she did was provide a roof and food to people who needed it. She wasn't a hunter and didn't want to be. She was beginning to think that if she wanted to maintain the estate as a haven for hunters, she was going to have to start being a lot more careful.

"If Sebastian…will the family take you back if they…"

"What are you trying to say?" Nathaniel asked.

"It occurs to me that Dean might have….dealt with Sebastian. You might not have to leave your family after all."

"I suppose they don't have to know," Nathaniel said quietly.

The sandwich forgotten, Kristine sat back in the chair and stared out of the window. Her cell phone rang a few minutes later and she reached for it quickly.

"Hello?" she'd seen Dean's name on the caller ID display, but Sebastian could have gotten a hold of his phone.

"It's me. Are you all right?"

She closed her eyes in relief at hearing Dean's voice.

"I'm okay. Are you with Sebastian?"

"No. He's been....incapacitated."

"What did you do?"

Dean didn't respond.

"Dean –"

"Can you get a car?"

"Yeah, why?" She was confused by his sudden change of subject.

"I want you to go home. You'll be safe there."

"What are you going to do?"

"Finish dealing with things here."

"But –"

"I want you somewhere safe, Kristine. You've been bait long enough. Don't rent a car in your own name. Steal one if you have to."

"I'm not stealing a car, Dean."

"Whatever. Just go."

"Dean, I…'

"What?"

"I want to talk to Sebastian."

"Are you insane?"

"I know what he had planned, but –"

"I swear to God, Kristine, if you say you owe him something I am going to –"

"What? Hit me? I doubt it."

"Don't tempt me," Dean grumbled.

"Well?"

"You can't."

"Why?"

"I…"

"He's dead?" she guessed.

"He was going to turn you. By force. I know he was on board with this whole Nicholas plan, but that doesn't mean he was a good guy."

Kristine thought that Dean sounded more defensive than was necessary.

"If Sebastian is dead," Kristine said and glanced at Nathaniel. "Then I'm safe. Nathaniel said none of the others knew what he was planning to do to me. Did you capture –"

"We don't know if any of Kek's vampires got away."

"It's almost sunrise, so they won't be running around. Was one captured, or not?"

She heard Dean sigh. "Yeah, we got one."

"I'm coming back. I want to be there when he's questioned."

"No! Kristine, we only have Nathaniel's word that none of the others knew about Sebastian's plan. Besides, what are we going to tell them when we go back there without him?"

"We'll need Nathaniel's help with that."

Dean sighed again. "Fine. Where are you? I'll come to get you."

Kristine told him and he was there with Sam twenty minutes later.

---

A cover story was devised that Nathaniel's family seemed to believe. He hated that a lie was necessary, but it would allow him to stay with them and also preserve their memory of Sebastian. Dean explained that after he and Sam left with Sebastian, they were ambushed by members of Kek's group of followers. A fight ensued and Sebastian was killed along with the other vampires. There might have been some suspicion among them, but no one said anything.

Contrary to popular lore vampires are not hurt by sunlight, but they do tend to sleep during the day. Nathaniel and his family were exhausted and needed to begin mourning their fallen leader. After passing along the information they'd gotten from the prisoner, the vampires asked for their privacy.

"What about him?" Dean asked, nodding toward the vampire still tied to the chair.

"We'll deal with him in our own way," came the answer.

Dean looked at Nathaniel who nodded. There was no guarantee that he could be trusted any more than Sebastian, but he'd helped Kristine and for that, Dean was grateful. And what was the worst that could happen?

Nathaniel walked to the door of the barn with Kristine and the Winchesters.

"What will you do with the information?" he directed the question to Kristine.

"Use it to summon Kek and hopefully exorcise him back to Hell."

"He'll only get out again."

She shrugged and put her hands into her coat pockets. "Hopefully not for a very long time."

He glanced at Sam, but if he knew about the hunter's powers, he didn't let on. "If you need our help, for anything, you know how to get in touch."

Kristine nodded. "Nathaniel, I –"

"You've already said everything that needed to be said," he smiled.

She looked at him for a long moment and then nodded again. She turned away, but looked back when he called her name.

"Take his car."

"What?"

"Sell it and use the proceeds for the estate."

"I –"

"Please."

After some short consideration, Kristine nodded. "Thank you."

She didn't see Dean watching her as she walked away, nor did she hear him thank Nathaniel for saving her life.

The Impala was parked next to Sebastian's convertible and Kristine was leaning against it when the brothers joined her a few minutes later. Dean must have realized that she didn't want to talk and he slipped an arm around her quietly. She rested her head against him and closed her eyes.

Dean handed the Impala keys to Sam. "Why don't you head back to the motel?"

Sam nodded and took the keys. "You gonna go back to the Sunflower?"

"Probably," Dean said as Kristine leaned silently against him.

"Dinner tonight?"

"Yeah. Get some sleep."

Sam unlocked the Impala door.

"Be careful, Sammy."

"You, too."

Dean nodded and watched him drive away.

"You have the keys?" he asked Kristine.

She pulled the spare set from her pocket.

"Come on," Dean led her to the passenger side and opened the door for her.

Kristine stood in the open car door for a moment before wrapping her arms around Dean's neck. Everything that had happened over the last few hours was crashing down on her and even though she knew that Dean was dealing with his own issues, she needed his arms around her. Dean held her close.

---

When Kristine and Dean got back to the motel, she crawled into bed while Dean called his brother. Satisfied that Sam was safe, Dean next called Bobby. It was a short conversation and then he got into bed next to Kristine; they fell asleep without speaking.

When she woke up a few hours later, she laid with her head on Dean's chest, listening to his heartbeat for a while. With the sunlight streaming through the thin curtains, she was able to see him better than she had during the night they'd spent together. The scars she'd gotten used to were gone and she'd found the new hand print on his arm more then a little disconcerting.

Kristine stood in the shower, the water hotter than it needed to be. She was trying not to think about how Sebastian and how close she'd been to something horrible. She knew there was still work to be done, but she was going to let the real hunters handle it. Right now, she just wanted to concentrate on being with Dean again.

After her shower, Kristine dried her hair and then pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a sweater. Her hand hesitated on the doorknob, thinking she heard Dean's voice. She assumed she'd find him on the phone, but when she left the bathroom, she saw that Dean was still asleep.

---

_Dean held back and gestured for Sam to do the same while Sebastian rushed into the cabin where Kristine and Nathaniel should have been. Nathaniel's car was nowhere in sight and the house was totally dark. Once Sebastian was inside, Dean ran to the Impala's trunk and grabbed two small canvas bags and handed one to Sam. They contained containers of holy water and wooden stakes laced with dead man's blood. He also took out two silver knives and a machete. _

_Without a word, he and Sam moved toward the cabin. They'd asked Sebastian for a detailed description in case vampires from Kek's employ had found it and there was a fight. He'd told them it was a simple one-room cabin with an outhouse around the back. There was one way in and one way out._

"_What are you doing?" Sebastian asked. Dean was standing just inside the cabin and Sam was blocking the door from the outside._

"_We know what you were planning," Dean said. _

"_I have no idea what you're talking about."_

"_Yes, you do." Even to his own ears he sounded dangerous. "You planned to turn Kristine against her will. I'm not going to let you do that."_

"_You don't know –"_

"_I do. And Kristine is somewhere safe. You won't be able to get to her."_

_Sebastian looked from Dean to Sam. He was stronger than they were, but they had the element of surprise and positioning. Dean took a step forward, the knife and holy water in his hands._

"_You've got it wrong," Sebastian said. _

"_I don't think so." _

_The vampire's eyes moved to Sam and Dean took the opportunity to rush him. Sebastian screamed as the holy water burned him. Sam ran into the room, managing to get behind the vampire to immobilize him. _

_The machete was in Dean's hands before he realized it, but he couldn't make himself use it. _

"_Dean!" Sam said, making eye contact as he struggled to keep Sebastian subdued. _

_Dean watched, paralyzed, when Sam threw the vampire into the nearest wall and sprayed him with more holy water. He almost grabbed the weapon from Dean's hands, but Sebastian managed a lucky punch and the hunter fell to his knees. Seeing the blood flowing from Sam's nose, Dean flew into action. _

_He was acting on instinct when he rushed the vampire and slammed the blade into his neck. It wasn't enough to take off his head, but it was enough to stop him from reaching Sam. Sebastian grabbed his neck when Dean pulled the machete free. He tried to speak, but it came out as only a gurgle. Something flashed in Dean's memory, but he forced it away with a glance to his brother. The second shot with the blade caused Sebastian to fall. He rolled toward Sam, but he was already on his feet. Sam was wobbly, but managed to stumble out of Sebastian's reach as Dean raised the axe above his head. When it came down, Sebastian's head rolled away from his body. _

_Dean held the weapon limply at his side and felt Sam's hand on his shoulder. He couldn't react._

"_Dean?"_

_The vampire's body lay prone on the floor and Dean somehow forced his eyes to Sam's face._

"_You okay?" he whispered._

"_Yeah. What –"_

"_We, uh, we need to burn the body and go get Kristine."_

_He saw Sam's expression; curiosity mixed with fear and concern. _

"_I'll do it. You call her."_

"_I…" Dean nodded and walked out to the car._

---

Kristine looked around the room and turned toward Dean when she heard him mutter. His brow was furrowed and his lips now moved soundlessly. She moved forward, but his eyes suddenly opened and she could tell he was trying to control his breathing. She thought maybe he'd woken up this way frequently since coming back and had already gotten used to trying to hide it from Sam.

"Hey," she said gently as Dean moved his arm to her side of the bed. He was lying on his side with his back to where she'd been laying. His eyes found her immediately, but he looked away and rolled onto his back.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure. Did you sleep all right?"

She sat down on the edge of the bed, fully aware that Dean didn't want to talk.

"I guess so. I didn't sleep for very long, though."

He looked at her. "You okay?"

Sometimes what worked to get Dean to open up was to bring out the protector in him. Kristine held his hand; she really wasn't okay. Not by a long shot. "Yeah, I guess."

Dean moved back and held up the bed covers. Kristine got comfortable in his arms with her back against his chest and he nuzzled her neck. He was holding her a little more securely than being alone in the motel room warranted, but she didn't mind.

"You don't have to worry about Sebastian," he said quietly.

"I know. Nathaniel said he'd been watching me for a while."

"What?" Dean stiffened.

"I guess it doesn't matter now," she said and then paused before continuing. "Do you wake up like that often?"

"What? By opening my eyes? That's how I usually do it."

"You know that isn't what I meant. You were dreaming," she caressed his arm.

Dean didn't answer.

"I've never known you to have nightmares."

"Who says it was a nightmare?" Dean's voice was quiet even though his mouth was close to Kristine's ear.

"Looked like a nightmare."

"I don't remember it."

Kristine knew that was probable; people often didn't remember a dream even immediately upon waking. She didn't think that was the case with Dean, though. She had a feeling he remembered what he'd seen and that this hadn't been the first time.

"You know, considering all the things you see it's amazing you don't have nightmares more often."

"Kristine…"

"You're still keeping everything bottled up inside, aren't you?"

"There's nothing to bottle up."

"No?"

He tried to pull away, but Kristine held onto him.

"Are you and Sam okay?"

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"Well…he spent time alone while you were gone and –"

"You know, don't you?" Dean asked, his tone sad. "What Sam can do?"

"Yeah. I mean, I've heard things."

"He can exorcise demons with his mind. Sends them right back to Hell. Castiel told me he had to stop and if I don't get him to stop, the angels will."

"Wow. Have you talked to Sam about it?"

"We've talked; we've fought," Dean sighed. "He said he wouldn't use it any more, but not for me and not because the angels don't want him to."

"Does the reason matter?"

"I don't know."

"You're worried."

"I'm scared."

Kristine was surprised by his honesty. Dean didn't make a habit of lying to her, but he rarely admitted his true feelings; especially when what he was feeling was fear.

"What he can do….and who helped him? I don't know, Kristine. It's a lot to deal with."

"Who helped him? You mean Ruby?"

"You knew she was back?"

"No, but it doesn't surprise me." Kristine saw the parallel between Sam's relationship with Ruby and hers with Sebastian. She had no doubt that it had occurred to Dean as well.

Dean was quiet and she felt his lips lightly touch her neck.

"You shouldn't shoulder all of this, Dean. I know it's what you do, but your shoulders just aren't that broad. No one's are."

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked, sounding afraid.

"You could start by talking. To me, to Sam, Bobby. Someone, Dean."

"What does talking do?"

"It gets things out in the open, for one thing. And once they're not in the dark recesses of your mind, they lose some of their power."

Dean's arms relaxed around her and he was quiet for so long that Kristine thought he might have fallen asleep. She caressed his arm gently and was surprised when he spoke several minutes later.

"I don't remember the details of the dreams," he said. "But the images…those I remember."

"What do you see?"

"I don't know. I mean, they're just flashes. Faces, people I don't recognize. Things. I can't really make them out. But I feel…."

"What, Dean?" she asked tenderly.

"Sometimes afraid. Sometimes just really pissed." He held her tighter.

"You're dreaming about Hell, then," Kristine said, not at all surprised.

"I guess."

She felt him shudder slightly.

"You really don't remember your time there?"

"No. And judging from these dreams, I don't want to."

Kristine hadn't realized Dean had started to cry until she felt his tears on her neck. She tried to turn around to hold him, but he didn't let her. All she could do was hold his hands while he buried his face in her shoulder.

Dean wasn't quick to move when his cell phone rang several minutes later; Kristine reached for it instead.

"It's Sam," she said looking at the display.

"Tell him I'm in the shower."

Kristine answered the phone and Dean slipped away from her. She watched as he went into the bathroom.

---

Dean hadn't lied to Kristine. He didn't normally remember the dreams that he'd been having with an alarming frequency since Castiel brought him back from Hell. The thing was, though, that this dream hadn't been about Hell; at least not exactly.

He'd frozen when it came time to kill Sebastian. He still didn't understand why, but he knew it had something to do with his missing memories. If Sebastian hadn't hit Sam, Dean wasn't sure he'd have been able to finish the job. And it wasn't just that Sebastian was a vampire. Dean had long ago gotten past seeing everything in black and white. It had started when he and Sam met Lenore, but things had become so complicated since then….

No, it wasn't because Sebastian was a vampire. He'd intended to do something reprehensible and his reasons didn't matter. A person should not be turned against their will; especially when that person was someone Dean….

Dean rested his forehead against the wall of the shower as the water rolled down his back. Something inside him hadn't wanted to kill Sebastian and that scared him. He finished showering and wished he had a clean set of clothes to put on.

_tbc_


	5. Chapter 5

**Life Goes On**

Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 1

**A/N: **Thanks to Marie for the plot beta and Kelli for the technical beta.

If you're so inclined to celebrate Christmas, I hope it was a good one for you. I'll be with my friends on Saturday once The Big Thaw beings. Seriously, who did the Pacific Northwest piss off; cuz the weather has really been horrible for a couple of weeks now!

Thanks for reading; hope you liked this one!

oooOOOooo

_When the sun shines life goes on  
When the rain falls life goes on  
When the sun shines or the rain falls life goes on.  
When you're happy life goes on  
When you're sad life goes on  
When you're happy or you're sad if you're good or if you're bad life goes on_

When you're laughing life goes on  
When you're crying life goes on

_If you're laughing or you're crying  
If you're' living or you're dying life goes on.  
_- Elizabeth Quinn -

oooOOOooo

Sam met Kristine and his brother at the Sunflower Inn. He noticed his brother's quiet, almost timid behavior, but didn't comment. No one was particularly hungry, so they decided to get on the road and stop for food later. Sam drove the Impala while Kristine and Dean took the Maserati.

Dean didn't bother to turn the radio on and he didn't talk as mile after mile went by. Kristine put her hand on his thigh and he glanced at her, a tender expression on his face, but he said nothing. Three hours later, she suggested they turn off at the next exit and Dean didn't resist. She called Sam and they met up at a roadside bar. It wasn't particularly busy even though it was prime drinking time on a Friday night.

They ordered burgers and beers, then sat back to watch the crowd. Most of the customers seemed to be bikers and classic rock came from speakers in the ceiling. Sam tried to start a few conversations, but it was obvious that Dean didn't want to talk.

Sam thought that his brother had a nightmare and hoped that Kristine had been able to get through to him, but judging by his demeanor now, that didn't seem likely. He knew Dean's dreams were becoming more frequent and more vivid, but he refused to even admit he was having them let alone be willing to talk about them.

He remembered his own dreams; the ones about Jessica before his visions started. Dean had wanted him to talk about them, but he refused. Looking back, it probably would have been better if he'd taken his brother's advice and he wished he could find a way to say that to Dean now.

Sam hated that Dean was suffering and wouldn't let him help, not that it was unusual. Some things never change, Sam figured and while he wanted to be the one Dean turned to, he'd be grateful if Kristine could help him.

The waitress dropped off their drinks and Dean excused himself to go to the men's room.

"He okay?" Sam asked when he and Kristine were alone.

"Yeah, he just…He didn't sleep very well."

"Nightmare?"

Kristine looked at Sam and he shrugged. "It's hard to hide them when we sleep in the same room every night. Did he talk to you about it?"

"Not really. And let me guess; he hasn't talked to you, either."

"No," Sam sighed. "He blows them off; says he doesn't remember."

"I don't think he does remember the specifics," Kristine said not wanting to betray Dean's confidence, not that he'd shared all that much information with her.

"I'm worried about him," Sam said.

"You know your brother. He'll come to you when he's ready."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I know. But….Look, I don't know if I should say anything, but…"

"Don't say anything unless you're sure."

He looked at her. "Dean hesitated when he…when we were fighting Sebastian, Dean hesitated. It was like he didn't want to do it. I don't know if that's because of the nightmares, his memories, or what, but…."

"Are you worried he'll freeze on another job?"

"No. At least I don't think I am."

"Well, you know what I always say. Be patient; he'll talk when he's ready."

Spotting Dean on his way back, Sam sat back in his chair and changed the subject. If Dean suspected he'd been the topic of conversation, he didn't let on. He was a little more talkative after the food arrived, but not much.

---

They made it to Nashville during business hours on Saturday and Kristine sold the convertible to the exotic car dealer where Sebastian had purchased it originally. She knew she could get more for it selling it privately, but that would have required a more legal sale than she had the desire to deal with. The dealer in Nashville was legitimate, but not above making special deals when the situation warranted. Sebastian told her about him several days before.

They got to Mountain Ridge four hours after leaving Nashville and Ellen came out of the door when the Impala parked at the back of the estate house. She hugged Kristine first, then each of the brothers. Sometime during the drive Dean's mood had lightened and Ellen didn't notice that anything had been wrong.

Inside, over a light lunch, they caught Ellen up on what had happened.

"So, what's next? Summoning the demon and exorcising it?"

Kristine shrugged. "That was sort of the plan before. I'm not sure if we need to reassess."

"Well, at least in the meantime we can be relatively sure that Nicholas is safe from vampires," Ellen pointed out.

The others agreed.

"You'll be going to Charlotte, I assume?" Ellen asked.

"Yeah; I promised the boys I'd come and they expected Sam and Dean a couple days ago. They know we've been….busy," Kristine said.

"That's a nice way to put it," Ellen snorted.

---

Kristine and the Winchesters decided to wait until the next day to go to Charlotte, but they called and spent a lot of time talking to everyone there. Sam had already filled Bobby in on what happened in Oklahoma and neither one of them had come up with a way to safely get rid of the demon that was seemingly after Nicholas and other children like him.

Dean decided to spend the night at the cottage with Kristine. It was on the edge of the property and for years had been the home of the estate caretaker. For most of her lifetime it had been used as a guest house or storage and she took it over after her mother died.

Kristine made a quick check of the house, sure there would be no problems, then settled on the couch with Dean.

"It feels weird to be back here," Dean said putting his arm around Kristine's shoulders. "I never thought…."

She leaned against him. "Neither did I."

"How ya doin'? You haven't said much about the whole Sebastian thing."

"I was wrong," Kristine shrugged. "I couldn't trust him."

"Yeah, but that isn't what I meant. What he wanted to do –"

"He didn't do it. Nathaniel went out on a limb for me and you…You made sure he'd never come back." Kristine turned her eyes toward him, remembering what Sam had told her about Dean freezing. "You okay with how it turned out?"

Dean held her more securely. "You're safe, so yeah. Nice table turning, by the way."

Kristine smiled to herself. "Thanks. But honestly, babe, I'm not deflecting or ignoring what could have happened. It terrifies me; what could have happened….But it didn't and I'm not going to crawl under a rock because of a could have. At least not today. Tomorrow may bring something different.'

Dean brushed her head with a light kiss when she rested her head on his shoulder.

"How long do you think you and Sam can stick around?" she asked.

"A few days, at least. I don't know. I'd stay forever if I could, but –"

"Don't say that; we both know it isn't true." She looked at him again. "And I don't mean that in a cruel way. It's just facts."

"Maybe," Dean said. "Before. I'm not so sure now. But I need to find out what the angels have in mind for me and this whole apocalypse thing," Dean looked at her. "It's never easy, is it?"

Kristine smiled and touched his cheek. "What would be the fun in that?"

"So, you and Ellen okay?"

"Oh, yeah. We had it out on the phone and in the kitchen. And I'm sure she'll yell at me again, but we're fine."

"That's good. And you're not going to take off and be out of touch again, are you?"

Kristine ignored the slight condescension in Dean's tone. She deserved it. "No. I learned my lesson. It's not like I didn't know I was doing something stupid; I guess I just didn't care."

"I'm not that important," Dean said.

Kristine didn't think he'd intended to say it out loud. She sat up and looked him in the eyes. She saw none of the confidence that was usually in them and she put a hand to his cheek. "You're important to me."

Dean seemed to be searching her face and she moved closer to kiss him gently. They didn't bother moving from the couch and later, lying with Dean under an afghan, Kristine thought about how she felt being with him. She'd had a lot of sexual partners in her life, but no one made her feel the way Dean did.

Maybe having him around all the time some day wouldn't be such a bad idea.

---

With no decisions made about the next steps, Kristine and the Winchesters headed to Charlotte the next day. There wasn't a lot of serious talk once they arrived. Bobby was still there, but the primary focus of the day was to spend some fun time with the boys.

Sunday night, Kristine was sitting in the den when she heard Nicholas' footsteps on the hardwood floor in the hallway. Before she could react, the little boy had run into the room and climbed up on her lap. He was wearing Superman pajamas and smelled of soap.

"You had your bath, huh?" she helped him get situated.

"Yeah, Dean helped me. He said I could come to talk to you before I went to bed."

"Talk to me about what?"

"I messed up."

"What do you mean?"

"That man you was with. I didn't know he was a bad guy."

"Did Dean tell you –"

"Uh-uh. I didn't know at first, but now I do. I guess I got it wrong."

Kristine looked at Nicholas' face. His big blue eyes were so innocent and young, but somehow full of wisdom he shouldn't have. She hugged him and kissed the top of his head. "You didn't get anything wrong, sweetie."

"I shoulda known."

"You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think that things change. When you dream something, I don't think it's set in stone. Do you know what that means?"

Nicholas shook his head.

"Set in stone means something won't change. It can't change. Get it?"

"I think so, but…"

"You see things, either in your dreams or some other way, but that doesn't mean they can't change. I think whatever we did to make sure the vampires didn't attack me changed the ending. Does that make sense?"

"I can see things, but they might change, right?"

She smiled at him. "Yeah, that's right. But no matter what, none of it is your fault. No one expects you to know everything, okay?"

The little boy smiled at her. "Okay."

Kristine returned his smile. Sometimes it was so easy; why couldn't it always be?

Angelica walked into the room. "Hey, you. It's bedtime. You have school tomorrow."

"Aw, man!" Nicholas protested, but his face held the smile.

Kristine shook her head with a laugh and helped him slide off of her lap. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Goodnight, Kristine." He kissed her and headed off with Angelica.

---

"Is there any word on Tom?" Dean asked Bobby as the adults talked once the boys were tucked safely into bed.

"Yes and no. I haven't talked to him, but from what I've been able to find out, it seems likely he went into hiding."

"Because of the vampires?"

Bobby shrugged. "No word on Liam, though."

"And speaking of demons," Dean glanced around the table.

"Kek," Bobby nodded. "There's a lot of work to do before we go after him. _If _we go after him."

Sam agreed. "We need to know more than what we do now. But with the vampires out of the way, Nicholas and other kids like him should be safe."

"Kristine's stupid plan pays off," she grinned.

"Go ahead; get cocky," Dean said with a roll of his eyes.

She shrugged, but her grin didn't falter. After some more good-natured banter by everyone around the table, the guests took their leave. The Raines didn't have enough space for four additional people, so Kristine had rented rooms at a nearby hotel.

Just after midnight, Dean woke up from a nightmare. It wasn't as vivid as some of the other ones he'd had and he didn't wake Kristine. He went to the bathroom, then stood in the doorway watching Kristine sleep. Without Nathaniel, Kristine could very well be something he'd have to hunt now and…

Dean wiped a hand over his face. Moving quietly, he got dressed and left the room. He had more than a little need to talk to Sam; he didn't understand it exactly, but he wasn't going to fight it. He wasn't completely surprised, though, to see Castiel in the hallway.

"Time for a pep talk?" Dean asked, closing the door behind him.

"Hello, Dean," Castiel said. "Do you need a pep talk?"

"I was just going to see Sam."

The angel nodded. "This won't take long."

Dean sighed and nodded.

"Your friend, Tom, is safe. I can't tell you where he is, but you probably shouldn't look for him right now."

"What if we do?"

"He'll be in touch soon, so it might not matter. And the vampires," Castiel looked toward the closed room door. "Although a foolish plan, it seems to have had the desired effect. Kek will have a hard time convincing anyone else to work for him right now. That doesn't mean he won't find alternate means."

"Alternate means?"

"I don't know anything for sure," Castiel said, earning him an eye roll from Dean. "But it stands to reason. And if it's true that he's taken up where Azazel left off, we will have to keep an eye on the situation."

"We as in you and me or, we as in the angels."

"The more eyes, the better."

Dean nodded.

"Are you all right?" Castiel asked after a moment.

Dean paused. The angel had never asked about his well-being before; at least not so directly. "I guess I…I could really use a day off, ya know? I've been back from Hell a few weeks and it's been non-stop drama. And Kristine…She could be a vampire right now! I just…"

Dean was surprised that Castiel not only moved toward him, but put a hand on his shoulder. The last time there'd been physical contact, he'd ended up in the past with his parents. This time, nothing happened, but he somehow felt calmer even though tears stung his eyes.

"I want to talk to my brother."

Castiel nodded. "Go ahead."

Dean walked past him, but looked back before knocking on Sam's door. Castiel was gone. He knocked on the door and when Sam opened it, it was clear he'd been sleeping.

"Something wrong?" he asked Dean with concern.

"Uh, no. Sorry it's so late, but I…I –"

Sam moved aside. "Come in."

Dean walked past him and stood nervously in the center of the room. Sam closed the door and looked at his brother, his head cocked to the side. "What's going on?"

"Um, we didn't talk about what happened with Sebastian and I want you to know that I know I froze. I can't explain it," Dean paused. He could, sort of, but he didn't want to. "It's not going to happen again."

"You wanted to tell me that now?" Sam asked. "What's really going on, Dean?"

Dean looked at him, then turned away and began to pace.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Sam asked.

When Dean turned around, he saw his brother sitting on the edge of the bed. He was surprised by the question, but not because he thought Sam didn't know. More than once Sam had been awake and by his bed when a dream ended; the more violent ones that caused him to cry out in his sleep. They'd not talked about Dean's dreams yet. So far, Sam had let it go when Dean blew them off.

"I really don't remember the dreams, Sammy," Dean said quietly.

"I believe you."

"But I remember the feelings. I don't know what I dreamed about tonight, but I woke up thinking about Sebastian and what happened with him. I know I hesitated, but I don't know why. You can trust me though, okay? I won't let you down in the field."

"Dean,' Sam hesitated. "Man, I didn't think you would. You've been out there already; there was just something personal about this job, that's all."

"You sure?"

"You're not?"

"It doesn't matter what I think. You have to trust me."

"I do," Sam said and stood up. "You've got my back; I know that."

Dean nodded. He still couldn't explain why he'd needed to tell Sam this, especially at midnight, but he felt better.

"I saw Castiel. He said Tom is safe."

"Where is he?"

"Cas doesn't know," he saw Sam's frustrated look. "I know; it's annoying."

"Yeah, but let's hope he's right about Tom."

Dean nodded. "Look, uh, I'll let you get back to sleep."

"You can stay if –"

"Thanks, but I'm okay now."

"All right. Hey, Bobby and I were talking and I'm gonna head to his place with him; do some research. Why don't you hang with Kristine for a few days and meet me later?"

"You sure?"

"Yeah. You deserve a couple days off."

Dean looked at him sharply, but didn't say anything. He wasn't excited about Sam going off on his own, especially not after what had happened before….but Dean wasn't dead this time and Sam would stay with Bobby. And he really did want to spend a little time with Kristine.

---

Sam and Bobby stayed long enough the next day to say goodbye to Nicholas and Alex before they went to school. Kristine hugged Bobby, then went to the passenger side of the car where Dean was standing with his brother. She made sure they were done speaking before she approached and Dean left them alone.

"We're really okay?" Sam asked her.

She smiled up at him. "Absolutely."

He glanced to his brother and she followed his gaze. "Don't worry; I'll send him back to you soon."

"Take care of him; I'm a little worried."

Kristine didn't respond.

---

Although Nicholas and Alex went to school each day and still participated in their normal extracurricular activities, Kristine and Dean stayed around for a few more days before going back to Mountain Ridge. Dean and Sam talked at least once a day and when Sam came across something that looked like a job, Dean made plans to meet him.

His last night in Mountain Ridge, Dean and Kristine went to Mojo, the bar in town that her family owned. A local band was playing and plenty of people were glad to see Dean again. They talked to people, ate and drank for a few hours before heading back to the cottage.

Kristine started a fire and settled on the floor in front of it with a blanket and some pillows. Dean joined her with a couple of beers from the refrigerator. He sat with his back against the couch and Kristine leaned back against him, between his legs. There were a lot of things they could, and probably should, talk about, but with the lights down and music coming from the stereo, talking seemed unnecessary.

Dean thought about what he'd said to Kristine; about how he'd stay if he could. Technically, he supposed he _could_, but he'd been brought back for a reason. If he refused to keep playing the game, there would no doubt be repercussions. Despite that, he'd meant what he said. At least he thought he'd meant it. It's kind of hard to know for sure since it really wasn't something he could do.

But as he looked at Kristine and felt her against him, he wanted to mean it. Maybe that was just as good. He had sex with a lot of women, but Kristine was the only one he had a relationship with outside of sex and he liked it. He felt at home in Mountain Ridge; the estate, especially the cottage, was a place he could be happy.

Dean had just been about drifted off to sleep when he felt Kristine move next to him. He opened his eyes and watched as she slipped his t-shirt over her head before putting another log on the dying fire.

"Hey," he said, holding out a hand to her. "That's my shirt."

She snuggled back down next to him. "I know, but if I'm wearing it, you can't take it with you tomorrow."

"I could just take it off of you tonight," he said slipping a hand underneath the shirt.

"You think so, huh?"

Dean was surprised by how quickly she moved; she was on top of him with his arms playfully pinned to the floor before he realized what she was doing.

"I can still take you," he grinned.

"I'm betting on it."

Dean rolled her off of him and a moment later was looking down at her.

"What do you know?" she asked. "You were right.'

Later, after Kristine had reclaimed the t-shirt, she sat next to Dean with the blanket wrapped around them. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Nothing serious, babe. Not tonight."

She smiled. "Less than five minutes; I promise."

"Can I stop you?"

"No."

Dean sighed. "Hit me."

Kristine considered her words for several moments. "I want you to promise me something."

Dean's face was serious. "I'm not going to like this."

"Your nightmares –"

"Kristine…."

"Just hear me out. Less than five minutes, remember?" She didn't wait for him to respond. "Talk to Sam about them. Don't shut him out."

Dean looked away, but she put her hand on his face and gently turned it toward her. "You have a little relationship rebuilding to do. Besides that, he loves you and he worries about you."

"He already feels guilty enough. I don't ever want to add to that; especially when there's nothing he can do."

"It's not about him being able to do anything; you'll work through this in your own way. But you need his support and he need to be able to offer it to you. It doesn't matter what you tell him or what you don't, for that matter. Not letting him in won't assuage his guilt and it will only allow his imagination to fill in the blanks. Talk to your brother, Dean."

He looked at her for a long time before he nodded slightly. She lay her head on his shoulder. "Was that so bad?"

Dean's only response was to hold her tighter and kiss her head tenderly.

---

"You take it easy, honey," Ellen said to Dean the next morning with a bear hug. "And come back soon."

Dean returned the hug. "I will. Thanks for breakfast."

"Any time."

"Try to keep an eye on Kristine this time," he said with a mischievous grin.

Ellen slapped his arm. "Go!"

Dean laughed, hugged her once more and then headed for the Impala, holding Kristine's hand.

Outside, they kissed tenderly. When Kristine pulled away, she put her hands on his face. "I adore you, Dean Winchester."

She said that to him every time he went away and his response was normally something humorous, but this time he looked into her eyes. "I adore you, too, Kristine Ryan."

She had to blink away her surprise.

"No more stupid plans, okay?"

Kristine smiled. "None that I won't tell you about first."

He shook his head. Sometimes you just had to take what you could get.

---

Dean knew that Sam was already at the restaurant when he pulled into the parking lot. They'd talked on the phone a lot while Dean was in North Carolina, but it seemed almost constant since he'd hit the road. Dean had even needed to use the car charger for his cell phone because he'd been on it so much.

They talked about the job Sam found; they talked about Tom, Liam and Kek. It didn't really matter what they talked about, it just made Dean feel better to be in contact with his brother. It probably wasn't unusual considering how they'd grown up and what they'd been through since; especially their recent separation.

Dean saw Sam sitting at a table near the entrance. His nose was stuck in a book, but as if he'd sensed Dean walking through the door, he looked up. It had been less than ten minutes since they'd spoken and Dean was surprised at his relief at being in the same room with him again.

Sam smiled as Dean walked toward him then flagged down a waitress. Dean had barely sat down before she brought him a beer. Now that they were in the same place, they didn't seem to have anything to say. It didn't matter; the silence was comfortable.

There was a long road ahead of them, but in the short-term Dean knew that Sam was worried about his nightmares and he was worried about Sam's powers and Ruby's influence over him. They'd get through it, though. They always did. And no matter what, they'd still be brothers.

_fin_


End file.
